WM  THE  SPIRIT  SAITH 
TO  THE  CHURCHES 

J.NORMAN  KING 


UBRARV  OF  RELIGIOUS  THOUGHT 


BV  601  .K56  1916 
King,  James  Norman,  1880- 
What  the  spirit  says  to  the 
churches 


What  the  Spirit  Saith 
to  the  Churches 


J.  NORMAN    KING 


O 


BOSTON:   RICHARD  G.  BADGER 

TORONTO:  THE  COPP  CLARK  CO.,  LIMITED 


Copyright,  1916,  by  J.  Norman  King 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Made  in  the  United  States  of  America 


The  Gorham  Press,  Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


WHAT  THE  SPIRIT  SAITH  TO  THE 
CHURCHES 


INTRODUCTION 

It  is  In  the  spirit  of  humility  and  much  uncer- 
tainty that  this  book  is  allowed  to  go  for  publica- 
tion. I  have  a  full  consciousness  of  the  weakness 
with  which  the  subject  has  been  handled,  and  a 
whole-hearted  concern  for  what  it  may  mean  to 
the  reader. 

There  has  been  no  attempt  to  startle  the  world  by 
profoundness  of  thought,  or  to  cover  up  the  lack  of 
such  profoundness  with  flowery  language  and  beau- 
tiful phraseology.  Rather  in  plainness  and  simplic- 
ity of  speech,  I  have  sought  to  express  truths  that 
are  well  known,  with  the  hope  that  they  might  be 
made  more  practical  and  might  leave  a  deeper  Im- 
pression. The  reader  who  is  seeking  the  unusual, 
as  well  as  the  one  who  Is  searching  for  a  literary 
treat,  will  be  disappointed. 

The  general  theme  is  the  product  of  a  growing 
realization  of  the  value  of  the  Christian  Church. 
As  we  see  many  people  living  in  apparent  disregard 
for  the  Church,  and  many  who  are  members  giv- 
ing other  Interests  a  more  prominent  place  in  their 

5 


6  Introduction 

lives,  we  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  this  Is 
due  to  the  fact  that  they  do  no  fully  comprehend 
the  vital  importance  of  this  organization.  If  we 
could  but  realize  that  the  founding  of  the  Church 
was  the  direct  result  of  the  presence  and  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  that  she  Is  the  custodian  of  God's 
most  precious  promises,  and  that  it  has  been 
through  her  that  God  has  accomplished  His  great- 
est work  for  men,  we  would  be  more  conscious 
of  her  value  and  more  concerned  as  to  our  relation 
to  her.  And  to  add  a  little  to  this  consciousness  Is 
the  purpose  with  which  I  write. 

As  we  study  the  history  of  the  Christian  Church, 
we  are  surprised  at  the  briefness  of  the  time  elaps- 
ing before  sin  made  its  way  into  her  sacred  pre- 
cincts. One  would  naturally  think  that  those  early 
churches,  founded  by  the  Apostles,  who  received  the 
messages  they  delivered  direct  from  Christ,  would 
remain  shining  examples  of  what  God  wanted  His 
Church  to  be.  Surely  we  could  follow  the  example 
of  these  churches  and  feel  perfectly  safe.  But  we 
find  mistakes,  we  find  blunders,  we  find  sin. 

And  as  the  Church  is  composed  of  men  and 
women  with  human  weaknesses,  we  find  that  the 
conditions  of  the  Apostolic  Church  are  duplicated 
In  nearly  every  stage  of  the  Church's  history. 
Truly  the  modern  Christian   Church  Is   guilty    of 


Introduction  7 

the  same  mistakes  and  the  same  sins  as  those  ex- 
isting in  the  Church  of  the  Apostolic  period. 

In  spite  of  our  deep  appreciation  of  this  won- 
derful organization,  in  all  honesty  we  will  have  to 
acknowledge  that  there  are  weaknesses  in  the 
Church  to-day,  mistakes  that  need  to  be  corrected, 
sins  that  need  to  be  wiped  out.  Any  other  view 
of  the  Church  is  detrimental  and  dishonest. 

The  world  at  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era 
did  not  realize  the  actual  conditions  that  prevailed 
until  this  was  revealed  through  the  messages  of 
the  Christ.  And  men  to-day  are  often  content, 
because  unconscious  of  the  actual  conditions  that 
exist  in  their  own  lives.  And  it  is,  as  we  turn  to 
the  plain  messages  of  God's  Word,  that  we  find  a 
perfect  diagnosis,  also  the  certain  cure,  of  the  disease 
of  sin.  The  Apostolic  Church  was  no  doubt  pretty 
well  satisfied  with  the  conditions  as  they  existed, 
and  you  will  often  find  a  confidence  and  a  self-com- 
placency among  Christians  to-day  in  their  attitude 
toward  the  Church. 

So  Jesus,  through  the  Apostle  John,  startled 
those  early  Churches  out  of  their  self-righteous  con- 
dition by  the  messages  He  sends  to  the  seven 
Churches  of  Asia  Minor.  In  these  letters  there  Is 
a  plainness  and  a  polntedness  that  must  have  punc- 
tured the  bubble  of  their  pride  and  self-satisfaction. 


8  Introduction 

As  human  nature  remains  much  the  same  and  the 
Church  changes  but  little  from  time  to  time,  so  we 
find  in  these  letters  from  the  Master  the  message 
that  the  followers  of  the  Christ  need  to-day,  both 
in  individual  and  in  church  relationship. 

And  we  have  taken  these  messages  as  the  basis 
of  our  line  of  thought.  The  condition  depicted  in 
those  letters  was  ancient,  but  it  is  also  modern.  If 
such  a  message  was  needed  by  the  Apostolic  Church, 
it  is  surely  needed  by  the  Church  of  to-day.  We 
have  tried  to  be  fair  and  frank  in  our  conception 
of  the  situation,  and  we  feel  that  we  are  honest  and 
sincere  in  our  application  of  these  messages  of  the 
Christ. 

Our  purpose  is  to  present  the  truth  in  such  a 
way  that  it  shall  reach  the  reader.  We  have  tried  to 
enable  the  reader  to  see  the  actual  conditions  of  his 
own  life,  possibly,  and  the  Church  life,  not  to  dis- 
hearten and  discourage,  but  that  progress  may  be 
possible.  We  have  also  endeavored  to  make  clear 
what  the  Christian  life  and  the  Church  life  ought  to 
be,  and  to  emphasize  the  promise  and  the  power 
of  Christ  to  make  it  so.  We  only  hope  that  some 
one,  reading  these  pages,  may  find  a  message  that 
will  suit  his  own  life. 

The  privilege  of  the  Christian  life  and  the  op- 
portunity of  the  Christian  Church  has  never  meant 


Introduction  9 

so  much  to  the  writer  as  since  the  beginning  of  this 
work.  And  If  some  reader  Is  led  to  see  the  beauty 
of  the  life  In  Christ  and  the  blessing  of  work  with 
Him,  through  His  Church,  so  that  this  two-fold 
relationship  shall  mean  more  to  him  and  he  shall 
mean  more  to  It,  I  shall  feel  that  the  hopes  of  this 
book  have  been  realized  and  that  I  have  been  fully 
repaid  for  my  labor  and  effort. 


CONTENTS 

Introduction 5 


PAGE 


CHAPTER 

I.  The  Value  of  the  Church 13 

II.  The  Fickle  Lover 37 

III.  Winning  the  Crown 59 

IV.  Faithfulness  Minus  Courage    ....  83 
V.  Limitations  in  Service 109 

VI.  Alive  in  Name  Only 137 

VII.  The  Open  Door 165 

VIII.  Lukewarm  Religion 187 

IX.  Our  Obligation  to  the  Church     .     .    .  213 


CHAPTER  I 


"Ye  that  have  escaped  the  sword,  go  ye,  stand 
not  still;  remember  Jehovah  from  afar,  and  let 
Jerusalem  come  into  your  mind." 

Jeremiah  51 150. 

*'And  Simon  Peter  answered  and  said,  Thou  art 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God.  And  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon 
Bar- Jonah:  for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it 
unto  thee,  but  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  And 
I  also  say  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  my  church;  and  the  gates  of 
Hades  shall  not  prevail  against  it.  I  will  give  unto 
thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven:  and  what- 
soever thou  shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in 
heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth 
shall  be  loosed  in  heaven."     Matthew  16:16-19. 


THE  VALUE  OF  THE  CHURCH 

As  a  schoolboy  came  whistling  in  from  school  in- 
stead of  his  usual  restless  activity,  his  mother  no- 
ticed a  new  expression  on  his  face.  He  was  looking 
far  off  into  space,  and  the  air-castle,  which  he  had 
been  building,  for  the  moment  controlled  him.  ''A 
penny  for  your  thoughts,"  said  the  interested  and 
curious  mother,  and  unconsciously  she  was  placing  a 
valuation  on  that  which  filled  the  boy's  mind.  An 
English  essayist  has  said,  "Observe  what  direction 
your  thoughts  and  feelings  most  readily  take  when 
you  are  alone,  and  you  will  then  form  a  tolerably 
correct  opinion  of  your  real  self."  So  the  prophet 
Jeremiah  is  striking  close  to  the  vital  spot  in  the 
Jew's  Hfe  when  he  says  to  his  people,  "Remember 
Jehovah  from  afar  and  let  Jerusalem  come  into 
your  mind."  He  is  laying  the  emphasis  on  that 
which  filled  the  Jew's  mind,  which  was  responsible 
for  his  character. 

There  was  nothing  so  strong  in  the  life  of  the 
average  Jew  as  his  religion.  Even  during  those 
times  when  he  was  compelled  by  circumstances  to  be 

15 


1 6       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

away  from  the  land  he  loved  so  well  and  from  the 
religion  that  meant  so  much  to  him,  then  also  was 
he  inclined  to  be  very  religious.  Oftentimes  that 
religion  and  his  place  of  worship  came  into  his 
mind. 

But  the  great  body  of  the  Jewish  people  had  for 
many  years  been,  without  their  consent,  in  a  foreign 
land.  They  were  far  from  that  land  which  they 
loved,  far  from  that  city  which  stood  for  all  that 
was  beautiful  and  sacred,  far  from  the  privileges  and 
opportunities  of  their  former  religious  life.  Many 
of  their  people  had  died  in  that  foreign  land,  many 
of  them  were  interested  in  different  pursuits  in  the 
wealthy  country  into  which  they  had  been  carried 
captive.  The  prophet  had  lived  in  the  midst  of  this 
captive  people  and  had  endeavored  to  keep  them 
true  to  what  they  had  been  when  they  came  to  this 
goodly  land.  But  he  had  recognized  that  there  was 
gradually  creeping  into  the  hearts  of  his  people, 
and  gradually  showing  itself  in  their  lives,  a  ten- 
dency to  forget  their  home  land  and  their  home 
religion.  As  he  saw  them  engrossed  with  other 
things,  as  he  saw  their  minds  and  their  lives  becom- 
ing filled  with  those  things  that  did  not  suggest 
religion  and  did  not  stimulate  religious  living,  he 
saw  also  that  less  and  less  frequently  did  thoughts 
of  their  old  habits  of  life  and  their  grand  religious 


The  Value  of  the  Church  17 

centre,  Jerusalem,  find  an  entrance  Into  their  minds. 
So  he  calls  to  them.  In  anxiety  and  In  anguish,  to 
remember  the  God  whom  they  had  worshiped  and 
the  place  made  sacred  by  that  worship. 

All  men  are  religious  at  some  time  In  their  lives. 
Some  In  childhood,  others  In  mature  age,  still  others 
In  old  age;  some  in  times  of  joy  and  happiness, 
others  in  time  of  grief  and  sorrow;  some  In  pleas- 
ure, others  in  pain.  But  In  the  life  of  each  one  of 
us  there  has  been  a  time  when  we  were  Inclined  to 
think  religious  thoughts  and  when  we  had  prompt- 
ings along  the  line  of  religious  living.  There  was 
a  time  when  religion  meant  much  to  us,  and  we 
recognized  its  value,  when  the  House  of  God  was 
precious  to  us,  when,  either  through  training  or  a 
recognition  of  our  need,  our  Jerusalem  was  the 
most  Important  consideration  that  entered  the  mind. 

But  who  Is  there  that  has  not  also  felt  the  strong 
and  ever  stronger  tendency  to  allow  other  matters 
to  so  engross  our  attention  that  we  have  at  times  al- 
most forgotten  our  religion?  Some  are  taken  up 
with  business,  which  is  so  alluring  and  seemingly 
so  important;  some  have  become  puffed  up  with 
success  and  feel  no  need  of  religion  or  a  place  of 
worship  In  their  lives,  others  so  discouraged  because 
of  failures  that  they  cannot  see  how  religion  can 
make   any  difference.     Some   have   allowed   sin  to 


1 8        What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

enter  their  lives  and  sinful  thoughts  to  fill  their 
minds;  others  have  been  hardened  and  soured  by- 
disappointments  and  sorrow.  And  each  with  mind 
full  of  one  thing  and  another  has  allowed  religion 
and  religious  places  and  religious  activities  to  slip 
out  of  mind  and  out  of  life.  To  each  and  every 
one  there  comes  the  message  of  the  prophet,  "Re- 
member Jehovah  from  afar,  and  let  Jerusalem  come 
into  your  mind." 

Though  it  is  important  that  we  should  call  to 
mind  our  religion  and  our  Church,  yet  the  result  in 
our  lives  will  depend  on  what,  in  reference  to  this 
Jerusalem,  we  allow  to  come  into  our  minds.  There 
were  no  doubt  some  things,  in  reference  to  the 
Jewish  religion  and  their  city,  that  were  not  reasons 
for  rejoicing  to  the  Jew,  and  which,  if  called  to 
mind,  would  make  him  ashamed  and  lead  him 
farther  from  the  life  which  he  had  lived  in  that 
homeland.  But  these  were  not  the  things  that 
Jeremiah  wanted  him  to  remember.  There  were 
many  good  things  about  that  religion;  there  were 
many  grand  things  about  that  city.  These  were  the 
all-important  things  and  these  were  the  things  that 
he  was  to  allow  to  come  into  his  mind. 

We  have  in  mind  many  people,  who  are  dear  to 
us,  in  whose  lives  there  are  those  things  that  are 
not  beautiful  to   remember,   and  if  we   remember 


The  Value  of  the  Church  19 

these  things,  they  will  not  be  a  blessing  to  us.  But 
there  are  other  things,  those  strong  characteristics, 
those  things  that  took  the  predominant  place  in 
their  activities,  and  these  tell  the  story  of  their  real 
lives.  These  are  the  things  that,  in  justice  to  them, 
we  ought  to  call  to  mind. 

There  may  be  those  things  about  our  religion, 
about  our  former  relation  to  the  Church,  about  our 
experience  with  religion  and  with  religious  people, 
that  are  not  such  as  would  give  to  us  pleasant  mem- 
ories and  would  not  be  attractive  to  us.  But  these 
are  not  the  predominant  things  in  religion,  these  are 
not  the  principal  characteristics  of  the  church  and 
its  workings,  these  are  not  the  things,  in  all  justice, 
that  we  ought  to  remember.  Let  us  put  these  aside, 
and  let  the  things  about  our  Jerusalem  that  are 
worth  while,  those  things  that  have  been  and  are 
to-day  the  very  centre  of  her  life  and  her  activity, 
come  into  our  minds. 

We  ought  to  allow  to  come  into  our  minds  what 
the  Christian  Church  has  done,  what  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ  has  been  in  the  lives  of  men.  We 
ought,  in  the  spirit  of  fairness  and  honesty,  to  let 
the  past  of  the  Church  speak  to  us.  In  Munich  there 
prevails  a  singular  custom.  Every  child  found  beg- 
ging in  the  streets  is  arrested  and  taken  to  a  charita- 
ble institution.    The  moment  he  enters  the  hospital, 


20       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

before  he  is  cleansed  and  gets  the  new  clothes  in- 
tended for  him,  his  photograph  is  taken  in  his  ragged 
dress,  precisely  as  he  was  found  begging.  When 
his  education  is  finished  there  this  picture  is  given 
to  him,  in  order  that  he  may  remember  his  former 
\yretched  condition,  and  the  gratitude  that  he  owes 
to  the  institution  that  rescued  him  from  it. 

When  Jeremiah  called  to  the  Jew  in  captivity  to 
let  Jerusalem  come  into  his  mind,  what  was  the  pic- 
ture that  immediately  arose  in  his  imagination?  He 
would  first  think  of  the  city  as  it  stood  in  its  glory, 
but  almost  immediately  his  thoughts  would  be  car- 
ried back  to  the  history  of  his  people,  back  through 
that  terrible  struggle  and  strife  against  the  enemies 
that  would  crush  them,  against  the  foes  that  would 
tear  them  apart.  He  could  not  resist  that  back- 
ward look,  and  into  his  mind  would  come  the  story, 
told  him  by  father  and  mother,  how  his  nation  had 
at  one  time  been  in  slavery  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 
and  had  been  compelled  to  toil  day  after  day  for 
cruel  taskmasters.  But  as  there  rose  before  him 
that  picture  of  the  wretchedness  of  the  former  con- 
dition of  his  people,  there  would  come  the  realiza- 
tion, possibly  the  first  consciousness,  of  that  great 
Power  that  had  freed  him  through  freeing  his  an- 
cestors from  that  bondage.  This  was  the  Power 
that  had  led  them  out  of  Egypt,  the  Power  that  had 


The  Value  of  the  Church  2i 

led  them  through  the  wilderness,  the  Power  that 
had  made  success  possible  when  they  fought  against 
those  fierce  and  strong  foes.  Into  his  mind  there 
would  flood  that  great  and  irresistible  history  of  the 
Jewish  people  and  the  Jewish  religion. 

Every  man  likes  to  be  proud  of  his  ancestors, 
though  the  condition  of  those  ancestors  may  not 
govern  his  own  life.  Those  who  have  had  the 
greatest  of  all  privileges.  Christian  training  in 
Christian  homes,  who  can  look  back  to  a  line  of  fore- 
fathers famous  for  nobility  of  character,  have  a 
heritage  that  is  worth  their  time  to  consider;  and 
for  such  consideration  they  will  be  stronger  for  their 
battles  and  will  live  truer  lives  themselves. 

Every  nation  glories  in  the  great  heritage  of  a 
noble  past.  Every  organization  will  make  her  boasts 
of  the  grandeur  of  her  history,  and  will  found  her 
appeal  on  what  that  organization  has  been  and  has 
done. 

Though  the  present  is  that  in  which  we  live,  yet  a 
present  that  is  built  on  a  noble  past  is  safe  and  se- 
cure. And  we  to-day,  as  we  feel  our  obligation  to 
the  past,  will  be  drawn  to  that  which  has  made  the 
past  possible.  Though  there  are  many  things  that 
entered  into  the  making  of  history,  and  every  nation 
can  trace  her  glorious  past  to  this  and  to  that, 
though  we  to-day  may  search  the  different  lines  of 


22       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

activity  and  of  thought  that  have  been  Instrumental 
In  molding  the  past,  yet,  In  spite  of  all  that,  as  we 
are  carried  back  In  the  history  of  our  own  nation, 
back  Into  the  history  of  other  nations,  back  In  the 
history  of  the  world,  even  back  to  the  time  of  the 
Christ,  we  will  find  one  factor  prominent  In  It  all. 
If  we  go  deeply  In  our  study  and  search  diligently  for 
that  which  has  been  most  Instrumental  In  the  mak- 
ing of  history  that  has  been  upgrade,  that  has  worked 
toward  civilization,  we  will  find  at  the  very  centre 
and  permeating  the  whole  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  the  Christian  Church.  In  that  we  are  to-day 
privileged  to  be  connected  with  the  Christian  re- 
ligion and  to  work  through  the  Christian  Church, 
we  have  back  of  us  a  glorious  heritage  that  ought 
to  cause  the  heart  of  every  one  to  swell  with  pride. 
We  read  our  histories,  and  as  we  look  Into  the 
lives  of  those  nations  many  centuries  ago,  or  as  we 
enter  the  life  of  our  own  land  during  those  early 
days,  we  are  Inclined  to  be  puffed  up  with  a  feeling 
of  superiority  because  we  have  advanced  so  far 
ahead  of  them.  But  let  us  remember  that  all  this 
has  been  due  to  the  uplifting  Influence  of  the  Church. 
There  have  been  many  mistakes  made  in  the  history 
of  the  Christian  Church,  but  these  have  not  worked 
out  for  the  uplift  of  mankind.  There  have  been 
many  things  In  the  story  of  the  past  that  are  Ignoble, 


The  Value  of  the  Church  23 

but  the  very  best  in  all  history,  along  all  lines,  can 
be  directly  and  indirectly  traced  to  the  influence  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

No  one  can  deny  that  there  was  a  decided  change 
throughout  all  Palestine  due  to  the  spreading  of 
the  Christian  religion.  The  history  of  Rome  is 
black  in  spots,  yet  there  are  the  white  spots,  which 
we  forget,  and  these  in  proportion  as  she  listened 
to  the  Gospel  message.  Greece  made  rapid  advance 
and  because  of  the  influence  of  Paul's  message  of 
an  Unknown  God.  The  very  best  things  in  Eng- 
land and  Germany  these  nations  owe  to  the  religion 
of  the  Christ.  Scotland  would  be  almost  an  un- 
known island  were  it  not  for  her  relation  to  the 
Christian  religion  and  the  Christian  Church.  Choose 
from  all  those  nations  the  men  and  the  women  who 
are  recognized  to-day  as  truly  great,  and  who  have 
really  Hfted  the  world  to  a  higher  level,  take  that 
from  this  past  that  is  best  and  noblest  and  truest 
to  the  highest  ideals,  and  you  will  find  the  secret 
to  be  the  Christian  religion  and  the  influence  of  the 
Christian  Church.  There  have  been  noble  men 
who  have  not  been  professing  Christians,  but  they 
have  been  influenced  and  inspired  by  contact  with 
Christian  principles. 

And  when  we  study  the  history  of  our  own  be- 
loved land,  we  are  filled  with  gratitude  as  we  read 


24       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

the  struggle  of  those  early  days.  But  what  was  it 
in  the  lives  of  those  who  laid  the  foundation  prin- 
ciples of  this  government,  that  held  them  true  to 
that  which  was  noblest  and  which  has  proven  to  be 
best  for  our  nation?  It  was  their  religious  truth 
and  purity,  their  loyalty  to  God  and  to  what  God 
demanded  of  them. 

The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  has  always  led  men 
to  live  better  than  they  would  have  done  without 
it.  It  has  always  influenced  men  to  stand  for  the 
best  things,  always  strengthened  them  when  they 
were  weak,  always  comforted  them  when  they  thus 
sought  comfort.  Many  can,  as  the  Jew,  go  back 
to  their  childhood  days  and  hear  again  the  story 
of  the  love  of  God  as  it  came  from  the  lips  of 
those  loved  ones  who  trusted  in  that  God.  We 
can  feel  the  uplifting  influence  of  those  lives  and, 
as  we  search  for  the  most  important  factor  in  their 
lives,  there  is  that  which  stands  above  all  others, 
their  religion.  Such  a  memory  and  such  an  heritage 
is  that  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  such  will  we 
behold  if  we  allow  this,  our  Jerusalem,  to  come 
into  our  minds. 

Again  let  us  call  to  mind  what  the  Christian 
Church  and  the  Christian  religion  mean  to  the 
people  of  the  present  generation.  We  are  naturally 
concerned  with  what  is  being  done  in  the  present. 


The  Value  of  the  Church  25 

What  the  Church  or  any  other  organization  has 
done  for  the  world  or  for  individuals  will  not  influ- 
ence us,  to  any  great  extent,  in  our  relation  to  that 
organization.  We  want  to  know  for  what  it  stands 
to-day. 

So  Jeremiah  knew  that  as  the  Jew  obeyed  his 
plea  to  remember  his  God  and  his  religion,  there 
would  also  come  to  him  the  thought  of  what  that 
religion  really  meant  to  his  nation  as  it  then  ex- 
isted. And  when  you  remember  that  at  that  time 
the  nation  as  such  was  destroyed,  that  Jerusalem 
was  burned  almost  to  the  ground,  it  was  a  severe 
test,  for  the  condition  of  the  Jewish  religion  might 
not  be  comforting  and  might  not  be  inspiring. 
Nevertheless  the  time  of  ease,  the  time  of  prosperity, 
is  not  the  true  test  of  the  strength  of  an  organiza- 
tion or  of  an  individual,  for  any  organization,  any 
man  can  stand,  when  all  conditions  tend  to  uphold 
and  help. 

[And  when  the  Jew,  in  Babylon,  or  in  any  other 
country  at  that  time,  endeavored  to  find  out  what 
was  the  true  value  of  his  religion  to  the  world 
and  to  those  of  his  nation  who  were  true  to  it, 
there  were  abundant  examples  that  would  make 
him  think.  Do  you  not  suppose  that  the  story  of 
Daniel  had  spread  by  word  of  mouth  over  that 
part  of  the  country,  and  that  every  Jew  was  well 


26       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

aware  of  all  the  details  of  that  wonderful  loyalty? 
They  knew  how  the  strength  of  his  religion  had 
enabled  this  man  to  stand  against  all  opposition, 
because  he  had  prayed  with  his  windows  open  to- 
ward Jerusalem,  regardless  of  the  threats  of  men. 
They  knew  that  he  was  not  only  saved  from  harm, 
but  was  elevated  as  no  other  Jew  in  the  land.  Do 
you  not  suppose  that  all  the  captive  Jews  knew 
the  story  of  those  of  their  nation  who  had  been 
thrown  into  the  fiery  furnace,  and  how  they  had 
been  saved?  And  there  is  no  doubt  that  there  were 
many  other  instances  that  had  occurred  and  of 
which  the  thoughtful  Jew  was  mindful.  And  what 
do  you  think  was  the  effect  produced  in  the  mind 
of  the  Jew  who  listened  to  Jeremiah,  when  he  saw 
what  actually  occurred  to  those  of  his  own  age  who 
were  truly  religious  and  who  did  not  allow  any- 
thing to  interfere  with  the  exercise  of  their  re- 
ligion? And  the  thoughtful  Jew  must  have  been 
able  to  see  farther  than  this.  He  would  be  com- 
pelled to  recognize  that  this,  their  religion,  though 
in  the  midst  of  heathenism  and  sin,  though  counter- 
acted and  countermanded  by  ruler  and  ruled,  had 
nevertheless  been  instrumental  in  improving  those 
conditions  and  in  making  that  heathen  land  a  better 
place  in  which  to  live.  The  city  of  Babylon,  and  the 
country  controlled  by  that  city,  were  better  in  every 


The  Value  of  the  Church  27 

way  because  of  the  lives  of  a  Daniel  and  his  com- 
panions, and  their  loyalty  to  their  religion  had  been 
rewarded  by  promotion  in  the  government  of  the 
nation.  And  wherever  there  was  a  Jew  who  re- 
membered his  God  and  was  true  to  his  religion  there 
had  grown  up  about  him  a  religious  oasis,  watered 
and  made  better  by  his  life. 

Space  will  not  permit  details  in  reference  to  the 
power  of  the  Christian  religion  in  fashioning  the 
histories  of  nations  and  the  lives  of  men  to-day,  but 
it  can  be  most  clearly  seen  in  our  own  land.  It  is 
safe  to  say  that  in  this  country  a  good  majority  of 
men,  women  and  children  are  identified,  directly  or 
indirectly,  with  the  Christian  Church.  And  when  we 
consider  the  men  and  the  women  who  are  to-day 
responsible  for  the  best  part  of  the  nation's  life, 
we  do  not  fear  contradiction  when  we  say  that  what 
they  are  and  what  they  are  doing  for  their  fellow- 
men  and  for  the  nation  can  be  traced  to  their  rela- 
tion to  the  Christian  religion.  Men  may  talk  about 
the  terrible  conditions  that  prevail  in  our  land,  and 
there  is  truth  in  their  talk,  but  this  is  not  due  to  the 
Church;  it  does  not  come  from  the  religion  of  men; 
in  fact,  these  conditions,  that  every  right  thinking 
man  deplores,  are  due  to  a  disregard  for  the  Church 
and  a  violation  of  Christian  principles.  And  you 
will  find  that  the  Christian  Church  and  the  Christian 


28       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

individual,  who  is  standing  true  to  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ,  is  directly  opposed  to  these  same  con- 
ditions. Scores  of  public  men  might  be  mentioned 
who  are  standing  for  the  highest  and  noblest  policies 
in  national  government  and  whose  actions  are  due 
to  the  influence,  direct  or  indirect,  of  Christianity. 

There  are  those  in  the  experience  of  each  indi- 
vidual whose  lives  are  better  than  they  otherwise 
would  be,  because  they  are  endeavoring  to  live  in 
line  with  Christian  truths.  They  are  stronger  in 
temptation,  they  are  more  cheerful  in  sorrow,  they 
are  more  firm  against  sin,  they  are  more  faithful  in 
their  friendships,  because  of  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  their  lives. 

But  there  are  special  problems  that  confront  our 
nation  to-day  and  that  must  be  considered  in  the 
test  of  the  usefulness  of  any  organization.  It  is 
a  time  of  unrest  and  uncertainty  here  as  elsewhere. 
There  is  much  that  is  wrong,  much  that  is  detri- 
mental to  mankind,  and  every  one  will  acknowledge 
that  it  is  a  time  when  any  man  or  any  organiza- 
tion will  be  tested  to  the  uttermost.  There  are  prob- 
lems that  are  diflficult  to  solve,  and  if  Christianity 
can  and  is  solving  these  problems,  then  she  is  worthy 
of  our  notice  and  consideration.  This  is  first  of  all 
an  industrial  age,  when  on  all  sides  we  are  con- 
fronted with  industrial  questions.     Our  education 


The  Value  of  the  Church  29 

Is  colored  by  Industrial  demands,  legislation  Is  con- 
cerned with  industrial  life,  and  religious  denomina- 
tions have  committees,  the  work  of  which  Is  to  deal 
with  questions  that  are  related  to  industry. 

If,  therefore,  an  individual  is  to  live  a  modern 
and  a  useful  life,  if  the  Church  is  to  do  a  modern 
work  and  to  claim  the  attention  of  modern  men,  both 
must  be  able,  In  a  measure  at  least,  to  answer  these 
modern  questions.  And  the  Church  Is  answering 
these  questions  wherever  she  Is  allowed  her  say; 
more  than  that,  she  has  the  only  sure  solution  for 
our  industrial  problems.  The  great  question  to- 
day is,  shall  industry  be  commercialized  or  Chris- 
tianized? And  the  Church  is  solving  these  troublous 
problems  by  instilling  into  industrial  life  the  spirit 
of  the  Christ.  The  teaching  of  the  Church  Is  that 
the  true  spirit  which  should  govern  a  man's  rela- 
tion with  his  fellowmen,  either  social  or  Industrial,  is 
social  service,  not  self-interest,  and  the  Church  is 
demanding,  not  commercial  service,  but  Christian 
service.  When  men  will  listen  to  the  demands  of 
the  Church  strikes  will  cease,  men  will  live  at  peace 
one  with  another,  and  there  will  be  a  reign  of  love 
Instead  of  law. 

Again,  the  Church  is  teaching  the  right  use  of 
Industrial  power  by  inspiring  industry  to  do  the 
work  of  Christ.    When  the  industrial  life  of  to-day 


30      What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

becomes  filled  with  the  spirit  of  Christ  and  inspired 
to  do  the  work  of  Christ,  industrial  war  and  strife 
will  cease  and  industrial  questions  will  be  solved. 
And  there  are  those  in  our  land  to-day  who,  con- 
trolled by  their  religion,  are  in  their  own  lives  and 
in  their  industrial  relationships  showing  that  the 
Christian  religion  is  practical. 

We  may  have  been  inclined  to  ridicule  the  Church 
and  to  mock  at  religion,  but  if  we  let  this,  our  Je- 
rusalem, come  into  our  minds  and  open  our  eyes 
to  see  just  what  this  religion  has  meant  to  the  world 
in  the  past  and  what  it  is  meaning  to  the  world  to- 
day, surely  we  could  not  scoff  or  scorn.  There  is 
an  illustration  given  by  Lincoln,  relative  to  those 
who  were  finding  fault  with  the  government,  that 
can  well  apply  to  the  tendency  to  find  fault  with  the 
Church.  He  said:  "Suppose  all  the  property  you 
were  worth  was  in  gold,  and  you  had  put  it  in  the 
hafids  of  Blondin  to  carry  across  Niagara  Falls  on 
a  tight-rope.  Would  you  shake  the  rope  while  he 
was  passing  over  it,  or  keep  shouting  to  him,  'Blon- 
din, stoop  a  little  more,'  'Go  a  little  faster'?  No, 
I  am  sure  you  would  not.  You  would  hold  your 
breath  as  well  as  your  tongue,  and  keep  your  hands 
off  until  he  was  safely  over."  The  plea  of  the  age 
is  for  a  square  deal.  Let  us  give  it  to  the  Church. 
The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  Church  and  out 


The  Value  of  the  Church  31 

of  It,  has  brought  to  us  that  which  Is  most  valuable 
in  our  present  civilization.  It  is  to-day  upholding 
those  things  which  alone  will  preserve  our  life,  po- 
litical, industrial,  social,  and  moral,  and  is  opposed 
to  that  which  is  destroying  life  in  all  these  channels. 
That  which  is  best  for  us,  that  which  we  most  de- 
sire, is  in  the  custody  of  the  Christian  religion  and 
Christian  people.  Let  us  stand  by  that  which  we 
know  to  be  right  I 

The  prophet  knew  he  could  not  change  the  lives 
of  the  Jews  in  their  captivity,  but  he  also  knew  that 
they  would  be  changed  if  he  could  persuade  them  to 
think  of  their  religion.  The  Jew  could  not  think 
of  Jerusalem  without  being  a  better  man  for  that 
thought.  It  Is  that  which  we  are  allowing  to  come 
into  our  minds  that  is  making  us  what  we  are.  If 
we  are  selfish,  it  is  because  we  have  allowed  only 
thoughts  of  self  to  enter  our  minds ;  if  we  are  money- 
mad,  only  thoughts  of  making  money;  if  we  are 
controlled  by  a  desire  for  pleasure,  because  we 
have  allowed  only  thoughts  of  enjoying  ourselves. 
We  have  allowed  all  sorts  of  things  to  fill  our  minds 
and  have  been  fashioned  by  them.  If  we  will  clear 
our  minds  of  this  rubbish  and  let  this,  our  Jerusalem, 
come  into  them,  we  will  be  better  for  that  thought. 

If  men  will  think  of  the  Christian  religion  and 
the  Christian  Church  and  what  this  city  of  God  has 


32       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

meant  to  the  ages  gone,  and  what  it  means  to  the 
present  age,  their  hearts  will  be  filled  with  thanks- 
giving for  such  a  blessing.  We  are  naturally  grate- 
ful and  we  despise  the  ingrate.  There  is  no  indi- 
vidual who  so  quickly  arouses  our  ire  as  the  child 
for  whom  the  parent  has  done  everything  and  who 
accepts  this  service  without  a  word  of  thanks  or  ap- 
preciation. If  another  offers  you  a  gift,  you  nat- 
urally thank  that  person.  How  must  God  look  on 
men  to-day  in  face  of  the  evidence  of  their  ingrati- 
tude, for  how  few  have  ever  thanked  Him  for  that 
which  they  have  received  through  His  religion  and 
His  Church !  A  farmer  came  to  his  pastor,  say- 
ing, ''I  have  here  a  thank-offering  to  the  Lord,"  and 
handed  him  a  gold  piece.  "It  is  just  two  years  since 
my  son  fell  in  battle,"  he  added  in  explanation. 
"And  for  that  you  thank  Him!"  exclaimed  the  min- 
ister. "Yes,"  replied  the  man,  "for  I  know  he 
died  a  saved  man.  In  a  letter  he  wrote  us  the  night 
before  the  battle  he  assured  us  of  his  faith  in  Christ 
and  of  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins.  Therefore  I 
know  that  this  our  son  is  not  lost  to  us,  but  that 
some  time  we  will  go  to  him.  Should  I  not  be 
thankful  for  this?"  Surely  when  men  will  allow  the 
thought  of  all  the  blessings  of  the  Christian  religion 
to  come  Into  their  minds  they  will  have  hearts  filled 
with  thanksgiving. 


The  Value  of  the  Church  33 

But  we  do  not  believe  that  the  Jew,  who  listened 
to  the  appeal  of  the  prophet  and  called  to  mind  his 
religion,  could  stop  with  simply  the  feeling  of  thanks- 
giving In  his  heart,  for  that  feeling  must  find  expres- 
sion In  his  life.  If  men  think  of  their  religion  and 
their  church  and  realize  any  feeling  of  thanksgiving 
in  their  hearts  because  of  all  these  blessings,  this 
must  show  Itself  In  the  loyalty  of  their  lives.  We 
will  acknowledge  our  obligation  to  the  past  because 
of  what  the  past  has  done  for  us.  We  will  acknowl- 
edge that  our  forefathers  did  much  for  us,  and 
we  will  show  our  appreciation  for  what  they  did  by 
our  loyalty  to  their  memory  and  to  the  things  for 
which  they  stood.  We  will  recognize  that  we  owe 
much  to  our  parents  and  to  our  friends,  and  we  will 
show  our  appreciation  by  being  loyal  to  them  and 
to  their  Interests.  Men  are  loyal  to  themselves, 
because  they  think  much  of  themselves;  they  are 
loyal  to  their  business,  for  they  think  a  great  deal 
about  their  business;  they  are  loyal  to  their  pleas- 
ures, for  these  take  a  prominent  place  in  their 
thoughts.  But  how  many  men  are  disloyal  to  their 
religion  and  to  the  Church;  how  many  are  even 
traitors  to  the  interests  of  the  Church,  though  what 
they  have  that  they  prize  the  highest  is  due  to  that 
Church,  and  all  because  they  do  not  allow  the  Church 
and  her  Interests  to  take  a  prominent  place  in  their 


34      What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

thoughts  I 

The  Church  does  not  beg  our  loyalty;  she  de- 
mands it  as  her  right,  for  she  has  paid  for  it  in 
advance,  and  many  times  she  is  cheated  out  of  what 
rightfully  belongs  to  her.  Our  homes  with  their 
blessings,  that  prosperity  of  which  we  are  so  proud, 
is  due  to  that  religion  which  we  have  neglected. 
Many  people  are  pushing  off  onto  the  shoulders  of 
some  one  else  the  responsibility  for  the  upholding 
of  religion  in  their  community,  the  establishing  of 
religious  principles  in  the  industrial  life,  the  promo- 
tion of  Christian  practices  in  social  life.  They  re- 
ceive the  blessings  from  the  Church,  but  give  noth- 
ing in  return.  If  we  are  not  ingrates  we  will  feel 
thankful  to  God  for  what  He  has  done  through 
His  religion.  But,  if  we  are  thankful,  if  we  are 
not  weaklings,  we  will  show  our  gratitude  by  stand- 
ing loyal  to  the  Church  as  she  endeavors  to  do  the 
work  of  God  in  the  world. 

"Thou  hast  not  asked  me.  Lord, 

To  first  of  all  love  Thee, 

But  simply  to  believe  the  word 

That  tells  thy  love  to  me. 

"Thou  didst  not  bid  me  feel 
An  ardent  lover  for  Thee, 


The  Value  of  the  Church  35 

And  fear  affection  is  not  real 
That  does  not  burn  in  me. 

'But  Thou  hast  said,  'My  friend 

Is  he  who  keeps  my  word.' 
This  I  can  do  even  to  the  end; 

I  can  be  faithful,  Lord. 

'Then  will  the  loyal  heart 

Find  its  reward  above; 
For  when  I  see  Thee  as  Thou  art 

I  cannot  help  but  love." 


CHAPTER  II 


"To  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Ephesus  write: 
"These  things  saith  he  that  holdeth  the  seven 
stars  in  his  right  hand,  he  that  walketh  in  the  midst 
of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks :  I  know  thy  works, 
and  thy  toil  and  patience,  and  that  thou  canst  not 
bear  evil  men,  and  didst  try  them  that  call  them- 
selves apostles,  and  they  are  not,  and  didst  find 
them  false;  and  thou  hast  patience  and  didst  bear 
for  my  name's  sake,  and  hast  not  grown  weary. 
But  I  have  this  against  thee,  that  thou  didst  leave 
thy  first  love.  Remember  therefore  whence  thou 
art  fallen,  and  repent  and  do  the  first  works;  or 
else  I  come  to  thee,  and  will  move  thy  candlestick 
out  of  its  place,  except  thou  repent.  But  this  thou 
hast,  that  thou  hatest  the  works  of  the  Nicolaitans, 
which  I  also  hate.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him 
hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the  churches.  To  him 
that  overcometh,  to  him  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree 
of  life,  which  is  in  the  Paradise  of  God." 

Revelation  2 :  1-7. 


THE  FICKLE  LOVER 

A  German  professor  of  chemistry  has  invented  a 
contrivance  which  enables  one  to  see  particles  200 
billlonths  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  These  particles 
are  so  small  that  previous  to  this  Invention  the  most 
powerful  microscope  could  not  make  them  visible 
to  the  eye.  If  man  can  make  an  instrument  that 
has  such  marvelous  power  of  perception,  surely  we 
need  not  marvel  at  the  wonderful  power  of  God,  for 
nothing  that  men  do  is  hid  from  Him.  The  back- 
ground of  this  message  to  the  church  at  Ephesus 
is  this:  "I  know  thy  works.^'  Let  this  be  the  back- 
ground of  this  message,  that  God  knows  the  content 
of  the  life  of  Individual  and  of  church.  He  Is  look- 
ing at  us  and  is  saying:  "I  know  thy  works."  And 
this  should  cause  concern  as  to  what  those  works 
may  be. 

The  writer  of  the  text  In  a  few  words  gives  us 
a  picture  of  this  church  at  Ephesus,  in  what  God 
knew  about  her.  Men  may  see  one  thing  in  our 
church  life,  but  the  vital  thing  is  what  God  sees. 
He  says,  "I  know  thy  works,"  but  what  does  God 

39 


40       PFhat  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

know?  And  there  were  many  things  about  this 
church  that  were  commendable.  Those  people  had 
been  strong  and  faithful  in  upholding  true  religion 
and  in  opposing  that  which  was  wrong.  More  or  less 
evil  had  crept  into  the  church,  but  they  had  put  it 
out.  Many  errors  had  arisen,  but  they  would  have 
nothing  to  do  with  these.  Nevertheless  in  spite 
of  these  commendable  works  about  which  God  knew, 
there  were  some  things  of  which  He  did  not  ap- 
prove. One  thing  God  held  against  them,  namely, 
that  they  had  left  their  first  love.  They  had  started 
out  in  the  Christian  life  and  in  Christian  work  with 
great  enthusiasm  and  zeal.  This  spirit  had  carried 
them  forward  in  their  work  and  caused  them  to  dis- 
play a  good  deal  of  energy.  But  for  some  reason, 
which  is  not  mentioned  here,  they  had  cooled  in  their 
ardor,  they  had  lost  much  of  that  early  enthusiasm. 
So  God  criticises  them,  saying:  "I  have  this  against 
thee,  that  thou  didst  leave  thy  first  love." 

They  had  been  like  the  lover  in  the  first  days  of 
his  holy  passion,  who  is  all  wrapped  up  in  the 
thought  of  the  lady  of  his  choice — he  can  think  of 
nothing  else.  She  fills  his  waking  hours,  she  be- 
comes the  centre  of  his  dreams,  and  his  whole  life 
revolves  around  this  object  of  his  affection.  But 
after  a  time,  due  to  some  change  of  heart,  he  loses 
his  former  ardor,  he  becomes  tired  of  the  object  that 


The  Fickle  Lover  41 

has  stimulated  his  affection.  His  passion  has  cooled, 
he  leaves  his  first  love. 

And  you  will  find  this  condition  showing  Itself 
In  the  lives  of  people  to-day,  In  the  Individual's  re- 
lation to  the  Christian  life  and  to  the  church  life. 
There  Is  the  first  stage  In  the  Christian  life  and  in 
Christian  service,  when  Christians  are  fired  with 
enthusiasm  and  zeal  that  carries  them  forward  to 
labor  and  to  sacrifice.  But  how  often  a  change 
comes  over  individuals  and  Churches?  They  change 
their  attitude,  they  lose  their  first  flash  of  passion 
and  love,  and  they  drop  back,  apparently  weary  in 
their  relation  to  the  Christian  religion.  Truly  of 
such  it  can  be  said,  that  they  have  left  their  first  love. 

What  are  the  evidences  of  this  condition?  Every 
condition  of  the  Inner  life  will  reveal  itself  in  some 
way  in  the  outer  life.  And  knowing  what  are  the 
evidences  of  a  certain  condition,  It  is  well  to  see  If 
those  evidences  are  present  In  the  life.  You  will 
find  this  same  principle  working  in  the  relation  be- 
tween individuals.  For  when  there  Is  a  strong  affec- 
tion existing  between  two  people  the  presence  of 
this  Inner  condition  will  reveal  itself  in  the  outer 
life,  in  the  relation  each  bears  to  the  other  In  their 
daily  experiences.  When  the  young  man  becomes 
possessed  by  a  strong  vital  affection  for  the  lady 
of  his  choice,  that  power  within  will  show  Itself  in 


42       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

his  actions.  Try  as  he  may  to  hid  it,  the  inner  love 
will  come  to  light.  The  opposite  is  also  true.  For 
if  the  young  man's  love  has  weakened,  his  ardor 
has  cooled,  there  will  be  evidences  of  this  changed 
condition  easily  visible,  try  as  he  may  to  conceal 
them. 

Equally  true  is  it  in  Church  and  in  the  individual 
that  the  condition  of  the  inner  life  will  be  revealed 
in  the  outer  condition.  When  the  heart  beats  warm 
and  true  and  men  are  filled  with  a  zeal  and  earnest- 
ness for  the  Cause  of  Christ  this  will  produce  re- 
sults that  must  be  seen,  for  men  must  follow  the 
promptings  of  that  love.  But  when  that  love  has 
weakened,  when  that  first  blush  of  ardor  has  cooled 
and  men  have  lost  their  enthusiasm  for  religion 
and  religious  things,  that  condition  comes  to  light, 
try  as  we  may  to  conceal  it.  And  we  want  to  know 
what  the  evidences  of  waning  affection  are.  For 
what  evidences  shall  we  look? 

One  of  the  first  signs  of  changing  affection  will 
be  a  lack  of  progress  on  the  part  of  the  individual 
and  the  Church.  Love  in  the  heart  of  man  or  woman 
will  produce  service  in  the  life  for  the  one  loved. 
You  have  seen  the  zealous  lover,  how  he  will  seek 
for  opportunities  to  show  that  love  in  the  acts  of 
attention  and  service  which  he  may  render.  And  as 
this  love  continues  the  deeds  of  service  will  increase. 


The  Fickle  Lover  43 

But  if  on  the  other  hand  this  service  ceases  to  grow, 
the  little  acts  of  attention  are  forgotten  and  the 
opportunities  for  helpfulness  are  overlooked,  there 
can  be  only  one  conclusion,  and  that  is  that  the  love 
has  weakened,  the  affection  has  cooled. 

When  the  love  for  God  is  in  the  heart  this  will 
reveal  itself  in  the  service  of  the  life.  When  that 
love  is  fresh  and  warm,  as  in  the  first  burst  of 
the  new  affection,  men  are  anxious  for  opportunities 
to  prove  their  love.  If  our  love  for  God  is  strong 
and  vital,  we  are  seeking  for  new  ways  to  show  it, 
we  are  concerned  for  opportunities  to  render  service 
for  the  God  we  love.  But  if  there  is  a  lack  of 
growth  along  this  line,  if  there  is  a  weakening  in 
our  active  service  for  God,  if  we  are  letting  the 
opportunities  for  such  work  slip  past,  this  is  the 
evidence  that  there  has  been  a  change  in  our  af- 
fection, that  we  have  left  our  first  love.  Men  show 
their  love  for  God  in  endeavoring  to  live  according 
to  God's  commands,  in  trying  to  follow  the  example 
of  the  Christ,  in  grasping  the  opportunities  for  Chris- 
tian work  and  service  wherever  they  find  them.  If 
we  find  that  there  is  a  growing  distaste  for  these 
things,  that  we  are  not  so  much  concerned  with  the 
character  of  the  habits  that  we  have  formed;  if 
we  find  that  we  are  not  thinking  so  much  about  the 
conduct  from  day  to  day,  and  that  we  have  dropped 


44       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

out  of  many  lines  of  Christian  activity,  which  was 
once  a  part  of  our  work,  this  Is  evidence  of  chang- 
ing affection. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  Church.  When  the  In- 
ner Hfe  of  the  Church  is  warm  and  active,  that  con- 
dition will  show  itself  In  the  enthusiasm  for  the 
outer  workings  of  the  Church.  There  is  much  to 
be  done  along  the  line  of  church  work  that  demands 
sacrifice  which  will  only  come  from  the  loving  heart. 
The  Church  that  Is  alive  and  active  to-day  is  the 
one  that  has  kept  the  inner  fire  burning,  whose 
spiritual  life  Is  made  prominent.  And  when  you 
find  a  decrease  in  the  work  that  is  to  be  done,  or  a 
lack  of  real  progress,  there  Is  but  one  cause  of  this 
condition,  that  the  fire  has  been  allowed  to  die  out, 
there  has  been  a  change  In  the  affection.  There  Is 
much  of  church  work  to  be  done,  comprehended  in 
God's  purpose  in  calling  her  into  existence,  namely, 
to  bring  the  Gospel  message  into  the  hearts  and 
lives  of  men.  This  work  faces  the  Church  and  must 
be  done  by  means  of  the  different  branches  of  service 
that  are  open.  There  Is  work  along  the  line  of 
the  different  organizations'  In  the  Church,  along 
the  line  of  evangelism,  along  the  line  of  the  mis- 
sionary activity.  All  these  are  results  of  Inner  af- 
fection. If  then  there  is  a  lack  of  progress  along 
these  lines,  if  the  organizations  are  not  increasing 


The  Fickle  Lover  45 

In  their  activity  and  efficiency,  if  the  Church  is  not 
meeting  the  needs  of  the  community  for  evangelism, 
that  is.  If  the  Church  is  not  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing men  and  women  to  Jesus  Christ  and  If  we  are  not 
taking  up  and  meeting  the  missionary  problems  and 
taking  the  Gospel  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  this  con- 
dition is  the  evidence  of  one  thing  only — that  we 
have  lost  much  of  our  love  for  God  and  His  Church. 
It  Is  the  evidence  of  changing  affection  and  growing 
coolness. 

Again  It  Is  true  that  a  change  In  the  inner  condi- 
tion will  be  seen  in  a  lack  of  Interest  In  Christian 
living  and  In  Christian  work.  This  Is  true  of  men 
In  their  relation  to  each  other.  If  a  man  loves  a 
woman  he  Is  vitally  interested  in  the  things  that  con- 
cern her.  When  the  heart  is  warm  towards  God 
there  Is  concern  about  the  things  of  God,  there  Is 
Interest  In  the  life  that  God  wants  us  to  live.  When 
men  truly  love  God  they  are  interested  In  making 
progress  toward  the  Ideals  of  the  Christian  life, 
they  will  think  much  about  the  things  pertaining  to 
that  life,  and  they  show  their  love  by  their  Interest. 
When  men  become  careless  as  to  whether  or  not  they 
are  living  right,  when  they  lose  interest  In  the 
Word  of  God,  when  they  neglect  their  prayer  life, 
this  is  the  evidence  of  waning  affection.  When  they 
go  about  their  daily  work  in  a  careless  fashion,  so 


4-6       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

far  as  the  character  of  their  actions  is  concerned, 
when  they  lose  interest  in  the  work  of  God's  King- 
dom, and  become  careless  about  the  commands  of 
God,  careless  about  God's  Holy  Day,  careless  about 
God's  Church,  careless  about  the  progress  of  God's 
work  for  men,  this  is  proof  that  they  have  lost  their 
love  for  God.  If  we  recognize  a  lack  of  progress 
on  our  part  as  Christians  does  this  cause  us  con- 
cern? Are  we  interested  in  that  condition?  Or 
have  we  lost  all  interest  in  the  things  that  pertain  to 
the  Christian  life?     This  will  tell  the  story. 

The  Church  that  is  warm  and  wide  awake  has 
as  the  very  center  of  its  life,  the  work  of  God's 
Kingdom.  And  whenever  the  Church  loses  this 
vital  interest  it  has  lost  its  first  love.  If  the  love  for 
God  and  the  things  of  God  were  warm  and  strong, 
this  would  be  shown  in  the  interest  taken  in  the 
services  of  the  Church,  in  the  attendance,  in  plans 
for  progress,  in  the  ideals  for  usefulness.  And 
when  you  find  a  handful  at  the  prayer  service,  and 
the  church  half  filled  on  the  Sabbath  Day,  while 
many  members  are  either  loafing  at  their  homes  or 
spending  their  time  in  pleasure  seeking,  and  when 
you  find  that  the  plans  for  progress  are  compelled 
to  go  begging  and  are  hindered  and  delayed  and 
often  abandoned,  because  of  a  lack  of  interest,  be 
sure  something  is  wrong  at  heart,  for  those  Chris- 


The  Fickle  Lover  '         47 

tians  and  that  Church  have  left  their  first  love. 

There  Is  a  French  story  of  Madame  Leport  that 
has  a  lesson  in  it.  Her  husband  had  been  arrested 
for  conspiring  against  the  French  republic.  She 
gained  admission  to  his  cell,  gave  him  her  clothes 
and  put  on  his  clothes.  He  escaped.  At  the  foot 
of  the  scafford  she  was  recognized,  but,  at  her  com- 
mand, the  executioner  did  his  work  and  she  gave 
her  life  for  her  husband.  This  was  proof  of  a 
vital,  living  love.  But  love  for  God  will  demand 
sacrifice  on  the  part  of  each  one.  And  if  to-day, 
in  our  individual  lives  and  in  our  church  work,  we 
are  not  willing  to  sacrifice  that  progress  may  be 
made,  then  we  have  the  proof  before  us  that  our 
love  for  God  Is  not  what  it  should  be.  And  God 
will  say  that  He  has  this  against  us,  that  we  have 
left  our  first  love. 

But  what  is  the  cause  of  this  condition?  It  is 
well  to  be  honest  and  face  the  condition  as  it  is, 
and  to  know  that  it  exists;  but  we  need  also  to  know 
what  has  caused  it  and  what  lies  back  of  it.  If  we 
are  lacking  in  progress  in  our  Christian  lives,  if 
there  is  a  lack  of  progress  in  church  work,  and  God 
knows  there  Is,  and  if  there  is  a  lack  of  vital  interest 
and  concern  on  our  part  because  of  these  condi- 
tions, either  in  our  own  lives  or  in  the  Church,  what 
we  want  to  know  Is,  as  to  what  has  caused  that  con- 


48       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

ditlon  to  arise,  for  there  Is  a  cause.  There  are 
factors  at  work  that  have  produced  such  a  condition. 

There  Is  often  to  be  found  back  of  this  condition 
of  llfelessness  and  lethargy  the  feeling  of  disap- 
pointment In  some  plans  that  we  had  In  mind.  Many 
a  love  match  has  been  broken  off,  many  a  divorce 
has  occurred,  because  of  disappointment  on  the  part 
of  one  or  both  parties  concerned.  So  men  will  start 
out  In  the  Christian  life  with  high  hopes  and  lofty 
ideals.  They  enter  their  struggle  for  victory  over 
temptation  with  earnestness  and  zeal.  All  goes  well 
for  a  time.  But  soon  things  do  not  go  as  smoothly 
as  they  expected.  The  fight  Is  harder  and  the  vic- 
tory not  so  complete  as  that  for  which  they  had 
hoped.  There  Is  more  of  sacrifice  and  not  so  much 
of  glory.  And  because  of  their  disappointment  they 
lose  their  interest  and  their  enthusiasm.  And  then 
follows  a  giving  up  of  much  of  the  struggle  and 
finally  a  giving  way  to  the  temptation  and  a  going 
back  to  the  old  life  of  sin.  Disappointment  has 
caused  the  change. 

And  how  often  the  same  can  be  seen  In  church 
work?  Men  have  their  plans  for  the  work  In  the 
different  organizations.  They  think  the  work  ought 
to  be  done  after  a  certain  fashion,  that  their  plans 
and  theirs  alone  will  succeed.  But  for  some  reason 
their  plans  either  are  not  adopted  or  do  not  succeed 


The  Fickle  Lover  49 

as  they  expected,  and  they  are  disappointed  and  lose 
their  interest.  How  many  people  have  dropped  out 
of  church  work  and  have  turned  their  backs  on  God 
and  God's  Kingdom,  so  far  as  any  real  activity  is 
concerned,  simply  because  they  had  not  the  courage 
to  see  their  plans  rejected?  How  many  people  are 
lacking  in  their  enthusiasm  for  the  work  of  the 
Church  because  some  other  plans  have  been  adopted 
instead  of  their  own,  either  in  the  special  work  of 
the  different  organizations,  the  work  of  bringing 
men  and  women  to  Christ,  or  in  the  great  missionary 
work  of  the  Church?  Many  stay  away  from  the 
services  of  the  Church  or  refuse  to  help  make  them 
a  success  because  they  cannot  get  past  the  rejection 
of  their  plans.  They  do  not  like  the  way  things  are 
done,  so  they  refuse  to  do  anything. 

Another  cause  of  weakening  affection  and  chang- 
ing love  that  is  laying  hold  of  the  very  heart  of 
Christians  and  of  the  Church  is  that  of  finding  a 
new  affection.  In  the  great  majority  of  cases  where 
the  young  person  tires  of  the  one  who  has  been  the 
object  of  love  and  affection  it  can  be  traced  to  the 
fact  that  another  object  has  been  found,  and  the 
first  love  is  discarded  for  the  second.  In  the  ma- 
jority of  cases  where  divorce  occurs,  it  is  because 
there  is  some  other  woman  in  the  case,  or  some  other 
man,  and  one  or  the  other  has  left  the  warmth  of 


50       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

their  first  love  because  of  the  finding  of  a  new  one. 

And  this  is  working  out  in  the  lives  of  men  to- 
day in  their  relation  to  Jesus  Christ  and  to  His  work. 
We  know  that  many  are  losing  their  zeal  and  en- 
thusiasm for  Christian  living;  possibly  we  have  not 
as  much  ourselves  as  we  once  had.  We  know  there 
are  those  who  have  lost  much  of  their  enthusiasm 
for  the  work  of  Christ,  and  who  can  hardly  be  in- 
terested in  church  work,  and  possibly  we  are  not 
so  much  interested  in  this  ourselves  as  once  we 
were.  And  let  us  face  the  cause  for  this  condition, 
that  men  are  not  zealous  as  once  they  were  because 
they  are  zealous  for  something  else.  They  have  lost 
their  interest  in  the  things  of  God  and  the  service 
of  God  because  other  things  have  come  into  their 
minds  and  have  driven  out  their  concern  and  their 
love  for  that  which  is  higher.  Men  will  leave  their 
first  love  when  they  will  allow  a  second  love  to 
interfere  and  take  its  place.  And  what  are  the  things 
that  are  taking  the  place  of  religion  in  the  hearts 
of  men? 

You  will  find  that  the  vocation  interest  often  inter- 
feres. How  many  men  who  have  begun  the  Chris- 
tian life  with  a  warmth  and  a  glow  and  a  determina- 
tion to  do  that  which  was  right  at  all  costs  have 
lost  much  of  that  earnestness  because  they  have  be- 
come so  much  interested  in  the  affairs  of  their  daily 


The  Fickle  Lover  51 

lives?  Their  work  has  entered  Into  the  innermost 
center  of  the  hearts  and  lives  and  has  taken  up  all 
the  room,  and  interest  in  Christian  living  has  been 
cast  out.  They  cease  to  love  or  to  care  for  the 
things  that  pertain  to  the  Christian  life;  they  violate 
Christian  principles,  they  turn  from  Christian  stand- 
ards, because  their  concern  and  their  Interest  Is 
centered  in  their  work.  Equally  true  is  it  that  men 
are  allowing  their  concern  for  their  daily  work, 
whatever  It  may  be,  to  take  the  place  in  their  lives 
that  should  be  given  to  the  work  of  God's  King- 
dom. True  it  Is  that  many  people  have  not  time, 
money  or  energy  for  the  service  of  God's  Kingdom, 
because  it  Is  all  tied  up  in  their  worldly  affairs.  They 
cannot  be  Interested  In  any  line  of  Christian  activity 
or  be  depended  on  for  any  part  of  the  church  work. 
They  cannot  get  time  to  attend  the  services  of  the 
Church,  or,  if  they  do,  their  thoughts  are  far  away. 
The  whole  life  is  bound  up  in  their  work;  they  have 
left  their  first  love  because  they  have  found  a  new 
one.  This  does  not  mean  that  a  man  Is  to  give 
up  his  daily  work,  unless  It  Is  wrong,  but  it  does 
mean  that  a  man  has  no  right  to  become  so  zealous 
over  his  daily  occupation  that  he  forgets  or  loses 
Interest  in  the  things  that  pertain  to  his  own  Chris- 
tian life  or  that  concern  the  progress  of  Christ's 
Kingdom.     And  to  the  man  who  Is  doing  this  to- 


52       fFhat  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

day  God  says:    "I  have  this  against  thee,  that  thou 
didst  leave  thy  first  love.'* 

You  will  also  find  that  the  social  interest  is  inter- 
fering with  the  interest  that  men  and  women  are 
taking  in  the  Christian  life  and  in  Christian  work. 
The  social  life  is  of  value  and  ought  to  be  a  part 
of  our  interest,  providing  we  keep  it  clean  and  un- 
questionable. But  how  many  people  are  so  much 
taken  up  with  the  affairs  of  their  social  lives,  their 
pleasures  and  their  amusements,  their  clubs  and  their 
social  gatherings,  that  they  have  neither  time  nor 
strength  to  attend  to  the  afFairs  of  God?  True 
it  is  that  many  a  young  man  and  young  woman  who 
started  out  in  the  Christian  life  with  full  purpose 
of  living  true  to  Christian  standards  has  dropped 
from  that  high  and  worthy  ideal,  has  lost  interest 
in  the  standards  of  the  Christian  life,  and  too  often 
turned  aside  from  that  which  was  absolutely  right. 
And  this  because  of  the  interference  of  the  affairs 
of  the  social  life.  Many  people  have  become  so 
taken  up  with  their  amusements  that  they  are  even 
willing  to  violate,  at  least  run  the  risk  of  violating, 
the  principle  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  by  doing 
that  which  is  questionable.  Yet  these  same  people 
were  once  zealous  for  these  very  principles.  Many 
people  are  so  enthused  over  the  lighter  things  in 
life  that  they  lose  all  concern  for  the  Church  and 


The  Fickle  Lover  53 

the  work  she  is  trying  to  do.  If  Church  and  amuse- 
ment conflict,  they  choose  amusement.  If  the  work 
of  God's  Kingdom  is  in  need  of  help,  they  are  too 
busy  with  the  affairs  of  life  that  do  not  profit.  How 
many  people  are  violating  Christian  principles,  neg- 
lecting Christian  work,  and  desecrating  God's  Holy 
Day,  all  because  of  the  grip  that  has  been  obtained 
over  them  by  their  love  for  pleasure!  But  let  us 
remember  this,  that  God,  who  knows  our  works, 
is  saying  to  us:  "I  have  this  against  thee,  that  thou 
didst  leave  thy  first  love."    What  can  we  answer? 

You  have  no  doubt  heard  the  story  of  the  Ger- 
man artist  who  spent  seven  years  painting  the  face 
of  the  Christ  in  an  effort  to  blend  the  feeling  of 
joy  and  sorrow  that  he  knew  was  expressed  there. 
After  he  had  finished  this  great  work  he  was  asked 
to  paint  a  picture  of  Venus,  but  he  refused,  saying, 
*'Do  you  think  that  I  would  try  to  paint  a  Venus 
after  working  at  Jesus  Christ  for  seven  years?"  If 
we  have  once  been  gripped  by  a  deep  and  warm  and 
strong  love  for  Jesus  Christ  and  for  his  work, 
surely  we  ought  never  to  allow  any  other  considera- 
tion or  other  love  to  take  its  place  in  our  hearts 
and  lives. 

Let  us  think  also  of  the  results  that  will  be  pro- 
duced by  such  a  condition.  Every  condition  that  is 
allowed  to  remain  in  the  life  is  producing  a  two- 


54       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

fold  result,  on  one's  self  and  on  others.  We  can- 
not avoid  this,  try  as  we  may.  What  we  do  to-day 
will  reap  a  harvest  in  our  own  lives  and  characters, 
and  it  will  also  reap  a  harvest  in  the  lives  of  those 
about  us.  So  also  in  this  condition  of  changing 
affections. 

It  results  in  a  narrowness  and  a  weakness  in  the 
individual  life.  The  object  that  we  love,  for  it  we 
sacrifice,  for  it  we  live,  for  it  we  would  even  die.  It 
becomes  the  vital  part  and  factor  of  the  life.  It 
fashions  the  ideals  and  standards.  The  individual 
you  love  will  exert  a  power  over  you  that  gradually 
moulds  your  character,  for  we  become  like  the  object 
of  our  love.  The  man,  therefore,  who  sincerely 
loves  God  with  that  warm  and  strong  and  abiding 
affection  will  center  his  thoughts  on  the  object  of 
his  love.  And  as  that  becomes  the  center  of  his 
thoughts,  it  shapes  his  standards  and  ideals,  and 
fashions  his  life  and  character.  So  the  man  who 
loves  God  gradually  grows  Godlike.  When,  there- 
fore, we  allow  this  love  to  cool  and  some  other 
love  to  take  its  place,  which  may  not  of  necessity  be 
wrong  but  which,  at  best,  is  lower  in  ideals  and  mo- 
tives, this  will  express  itself  in  the  life  and  char- 
acter. The  man  who  neglects  Jesus  Christ  and  his 
work  because  of  his  interest  in  business  or  pleasure 
instead  of  thinking  about  the  best  things  in  life, 


The  Fickle  Lover  55 

Is  thinking  about  the  second  best.  He  lowers  his 
Ideals  and  standards,  he  narrows  the  motives  and 
interests  of  the  life,  and  he  is  less  a  man  than  he 
might  and  ought  to  be.  God  said,  '*I  will  come  to 
thee  and  will  move  thy  candlestick  out  of  its  place, 
unless  thou  repent.'*  The  candlestick  represents  the 
life  and  there  is  a  place  where  it  ought  to  stand, 
made  possible  only  as  men  love  and  serve  God.  But 
it  is  moved  out  of  this  place  when,  because  of  their 
interest  in  something  else,  they  leave  their  first  love. 
This  condition  of  changing  affection  also  results 
in  a  weakness  so  far  as  our  influence  over  other  lives 
is  concerned.  When  we  lose  our  interest  in  the 
things  of  God  we  lower  our  standards  of  living,  and 
when  we  lower  our  standards  of  living  we  lead 
others  to  lower  theirs.  When  we  reveal  a  weaken- 
ing in  our  zeal  for  the  Christian  life  and  for  the 
work  of  the  church,  we  cause  others  to  underestimate 
the  value  of  the  Christian  life;  we  lead  them  to 
weaken  in  their  interest  and  enthusiasm  for  the  work 
of  God's  Kingdom.  If  the  people  in  the  Church 
to-day  would  put  the  best  into  their  Christian  work, 
showing  to  the  world  that  they  really  valued  their 
religion  enough  to  sacrifice  for  It,  and  that  it  held 
first  place  In  their  thoughts  and  activities,  then  would 
the  people  outside  be  drawn  to  the  Church  and  to 
Jesus  Christ. 


^6       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  when  professing  Chris- 
tians lose  their  zeal  for  their  religion,  when  they 
leave  their  first  love  and  are  more  interested  in  their 
business  and  their  plans  for  amusements  than  in  the 
work  of  God's  Kingdom,  the  world  laughs  at  their 
profession  and  turns  from  their  church  and  frcrm 
their  Christ  in  derision  and  disgust.  Truly  God 
does  remove  the  candlestick  that  should  be  shedding 
light  to  the  world  about  us  out  of  its  place.  For 
the  man  or  woman  who  is  showing  a  lack  of  interest 
in  the  progress  of  their  own  christian  lives  and  in 
the  progress  of  the  Christian  Church,  no  matter  what 
may  be  their  excuse  for  such  a  change  of  heart,  they 
are  standing  in  the  way  of  the  advancement  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  and  they  are  contributing  toward 
worldllness  and  irrellglon.  God  has  removed  their 
candlestick  out  of  Its  place  and  it  has  taken  its  place 
on  the  other  side  of  the  line. 

An  incident  came  to  my  attention  a  short  time 
ago  that  furnishes  an  illustration.  A  young  couple 
in  a  certain  city  who  were  conscientious  Christians 
were  in  the  habit  of  expressing  their  thanks  to  God 
before  their  meals.  Across  the  street  lived  another 
family  who  knew  what  was  right  but  had  neglected 
their  duty.  One  day  the  little  boy  in  this  home, 
looking  through  the  window,  saw  their  neighbors 
bow  their  heads  for  a  moment  before  eating,  and 


The  Fickle  Lover  57 

he  asked  his  mother  about  It.  When  she  told  him 
the  reason,  he  wanted  to  know  why  they  couldn't 
do  the  same.  That  night  the  little  fellow  put  the 
same  question  to  his  father,  and  the  result  is  that 
those  people  are  being  called  back  to  the  right  path. 
Supposing  the  other  family  had  not  been  faithful  In 
the  discharge  of  their  duty!  If  we  are  faithful  and 
earnest  In  our  Christian  living  some  one,  possibly 
unknown  to  us,  will  be  influenced  by  our  example. 

God  calls  on  this  church  to  repent  and  do  the  first 
works.  He  calls  us  all  to  do  the  same,  to  remember 
whence  we  are  fallen,  repent  and  return.  It  will 
mean  sacrifice,  but  it  is  worth  the  cost  and  we  owe 
It  to  God.  A  little  girl  who  had  a  drinking  father 
was  one  night  beaten  by  him  because  she  was  a  Chris- 
tian until  the  blood  ran  down  her  back.  Her  bloody 
clothing  was  removed  and  she  was  tenderly  cared 
for,  but  she  died.  Just  before  she  passed  away  she 
asked  her  mother  to  bring  to  her  the  piece  of  her 
dress  on  which  was  the  most  blood,  and  allow  her 
to  hold  it  in  her  hand  as  she  died.  When  her  mother 
asked  her  reason  for  this  strange  request,  she  an- 
swered: "Because  Jesus  shed  all  His  blood  for  me 
I  want  to  carry  this  piece  of  cloth  when  I  go  to 
meet  Him,  that  He  may  see  that  I  shed  at  least  a 
part  of  my  blood  for  Him."  Seeing  that  He  has  done 
so  much  for  us,  surely  we  ought  to  be  willing  to 


58       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

sacrifice,  If  need  be,  for  Him  and  His  cause.  Seeing 
He  has  loved  us  with  such  an  everlasting  love,  let 
us  return  to  that  first  strong,  warm  love  for  God 
and  for  His  work,  that  we  may  present  to  Him  the 
record  of  a  loving  heart  and  a  faithful  life. 

0  Love  that  wilt  not  let  me  go, 

I  rest  my  weary  soul  in  Thee; 

1  give  Thee  back  the  life  I  owe. 
That  in  Thine  ocean  depths  its  flow 

May  richer,  fuller  be. 

O  Light  that  followest  all  my  way, 

I  yield  my  flick' ring  torch  to  Thee; 
My  heart  restores  its  borrowed  ray, 
That  in  Thy  sunshine's  glow  its  day 
May  brighter,  fairer  be. 

0  Joy  that  seekest  me  through  pain, 
I  cannot  close  my  heart  to  Thee; 

1  trace  the  rainbow  through  the  rain, 
And  feel  the  promise  is  not  vain 

That  morn  shall  tearless  be. 

0  Cross  that  liftest  up  my  head, 

I  dare  not  ask  to  hide  from  Thee; 

1  lay  in  dust  life's  glory  dead, 

And  from  the  ground  there  blossoms  red 
Life  that  shall  endless  be. 


CHAPTER  III 


And  to  the  angel  of  the  church  In  Smyrna  write : 
These  things  salth  the  first  and  the  last,  who  was 
dead  and  lived  again;  I  know  thy  tribulation  and 
thy  poverty  (but  thou  art  rich)  and  the  blasphemy 
of  them  that  say  they  are  Jews,  and  they  are  not, 
but  are  a  synagogue  of  Satan.  Fear  not  the  things 
which  thou  art  about  to  suffer;  behold,  the  devil  is 
about  to  cast  some  of  you  into  prison,  that  ye  may 
be  tried;  and  ye  shall  have  tribulation  ten  days.  Be 
thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  the 
crown  of  life.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear 
what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the  churches.  He  that  over- 
cometh  shall  not  be  hurt  of  the  second  death. 

Revelation  2:8-11. 


WINNING  THE  CROWN 

The  Apostle  John  has  written  messages  to  each 
of  the  seven  churches  in  Asia  Minor.  One  message 
has  already  been  considered  in  "The  Fickle  Lover," 
and  we  want  to  take  these  other  messages  in  turn 
and  find  their  application  to  the  life  of  the  indi- 
vidual and  the  Church.  We  will  find  that  in  each 
one  of  these  messages  the  writer  emphasizes  a  spe- 
cial feature,  according  to  the  special  character  of 
the  church  to  which  he  is  writing.  A  general  mes- 
sage often  goes  wide  of  the  mark  because  failing 
of  application,  but  the  special  message  carries  the 
truth  home.  As  we  study  these  messages,  though 
each  is  different,  yet  in  each  there  is  something  for 
us  and  which  we  can  apply. 

The  message  we  want  to  consider  in  this  chapter 
was  spoken  to  the  church,  rather  to  the  angel  of  the 
church,  at  Smyrna.  Smyrna  was  a  city  on  the  west 
coast  of  Asia  Minor  of  great  antiquity.  It  formerly 
belonged  to  the  ^olian  Greeks,  then  later  to  the 
Ionian  Greeks.  It  was  destroyed  by  the  Lidian 
king,  Alyattes,  and  lay  a  waste  for  about  two  hun- 

6i 


62        What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

dred  years,  until  the  plan  for  rebuilding  was  formed 
by  Alexander  the  Great  and  carried  out  by  his  suc- 
cessors. After  this  it  became  a  large  and  flourishing 
center  of  commerce,  and  retained  this  importance 
under  the  Romans.  In  133  B.  C.  it  became  a  part 
of  the  newly  formed  province  of  Asia.  In  178  A.  D. 
the  city  was  destroyed  by  earthquake,  but  was  speed- 
ily rebuilt.  Lying  as  it  does  at  the  extremity  of  the 
fine  bay  of  Smyrna  in  the  track  of  trade,  it  is  espe- 
cially adapted  for  commerce.  And  even  under 
Turkish  rule  it  remains  a  highly  flourishing  city,  the 
largest  and  most  important  in  Asia  Minor. 

The  "angel  of  the  church,"  to  whom  the  message 
is  written,  is  thought  to  refer  to  Polycarp,  who  was 
bishop  of  this  church  and  who  suffered  martyrdom 
under  Marcus  Aurellus  in  169  A.  D.  When  he 
mounted  the  scaffold  for  his  execution,  he  answered 
his  accusers:  "Eighty-six  years  have  I  served  my 
Lord  Christ,  and  He  has  done  me  no  wrong.  How 
can  I  blaspheme  my  King  who  saved  me?"  This 
church  escapes  all  censure  but  is  exhorted  to  faith- 
fulness in  the  midst  of  all  trials.  We  can  learn 
something  of  great  value  from  this  message. 

Notice  first  of  all  the  character  of  the  messenger. 
This  is  a  vital  thing  In  any  message,  for  the  stand- 
ing and  the  character  of  the  one  sending  the  mes- 
sage will  cause  you  to  accept  or  to  reject  that  mes' 


Winning  the  Crown  63 

sage.  So  John  Is  told  to  Inform  these  people  at  the 
beginning  the  character  of  the  One  who  sends  the 
message  to  them.  God  had  a  message  to  deliver 
to  this  church  and  He  made  John  the  mouthpiece, 
through  which  He  could  speak.  If  you  receive  a 
letter  the  content  will  not  Impress  you  very  strongly 
unless  the  one  whose  name  Is  signed  Is  such  a  char^ 
acter  as  to  demand  your  attention.  It  Is  a  good 
thing  to  remember  that  back  of  the  teachings  of 
the  Bible  there  Is  God  as  the  Messenger.  Some- 
times men  think  of  the  Bible  as  a  book  written  by 
men,  but  these  men  were  the  mouthpiece  of  God, 
even  as  was  John  of  Christ  on  the  Island  of  Patmos. 
And  this  message  gains  Its  power  from  this  fact. 

And  we  find  that  the  Messenger  Is  characterized 
as  "the  first  and  the  last."  This  Is  an  expression 
often  used  In  this  book  as  characterizing  the  Lord, 
and  In  the  last  chapter  He  says:  "I  am  the  Alpha 
and  the  Omega,  the  first  and  the  last,  the  beginning 
and  the  end."  Now  there  must  be  a  special  mean- 
ing to  be  applied  to  this  expression  that  has  a  direct 
bearing  on  the  message  that  Is  given. 

He  was  the  "first."  He  existed  at  the  beginning, 
he  was  present  at  the  creation,  and  In  eternity  before 
that.  Therefore  nothing  antedates  him.  Our  con- 
fidence will  be  according  to  the  messenger's  acquaint- 
ance with  the  facts  of  which  he  speaks.     So  there  is 


64       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

the  assurance  that  Christ  speaks  with  authority,  for 
there  was  nothing  before  him.  He  knows  the  pres- 
ent, also  the  past  on  which  the  present  is  founded;  he 
was  at  the  beginning  and  therefore  knew  the  plan 
and  the  purpose  of  the  creation.  His  message  would 
therefore  be  important,  because  the  result  of  first- 
hand knowledge,  nothing  back,  nothing  beyond  of 
which  he  is  ignorant. 

But  Christ  was  also  the  "last."  He  not  only 
knows  the  beginning  but  also  the  end.  He  knows 
what  has  happened,  also  what  will  happen.  The 
conditions  surrounding  these  people  at  Smyrna  were 
related  to  the  past,  of  which  Jesus  knew,  but  they 
were  also  related  to  the  future,  which  was  also 
known  to  Him.  The  conditions  that  surround  our 
lives  to-day,  whatever  they  may  be,  are  directly 
related  to  that  which  has  gone  before,  and  any  mes- 
sage that  strikes  home  must  be  given  with  a  knowl- 
edge of  that  past.  But  you  will  readily  see  that  these 
conditions  also  reach  out  and  touch  the  future ;  their 
explanation  will  largely  be  found  there,  and  their 
treatment  must  be  in  the  light  of  that  future. 

Many  things  came  into  the  life  of  this  Church  that 
the  people  could  not  understand,  because  of  their 
ignorance  of  the  past  and  the  hidden  character  of 
the  future.  What  a  vital  message  this  would  be  to 
them,  coming  from  One  who  could  cast  his  eye  back 


JVinning  the  Crown  6^ 

and  see  all  that  had  gone  before,  and  who  could 
also  cast  his  eye  ahead  and  see  all  that  was  to  come 
to  pass !  Surely  they  could  trust  him.  This  message 
has  a  direct  bearing  on  our  lives,  for  there  are  many 
things  that  come  to  us  that  we  misunderstand  because 
we  cannot  see  their  antecedents,  we  cannot  see  what 
is  to  follow.  What  a  great  blessing  that  we  can 
listen  to  a  message  from  One  before  whom  there 
was  nothing  and  after  whom  there  will  be  nothing, 
who  is  the  first  and  the  last,  the  beginning  and  the 
end. 

Another  prominent  characteristic  was  that  He 
was  the  One  "who  was  dead  and  lived  again."  The 
former  characteristic  gives  him  knowledge,  this 
gives  him  experience;  through  the  one  he  has  au- 
thority when  he  speaks,  but  through  the  other  he 
speaks  with  sympathy.  In  that  he  was  dead  he  went 
through  all  the  intervening  steps  of  life  that  finally 
culminated  in  his  death.  How  much  Is  contained 
in  those  words,  "who  was  dead,"  for  back  of  that 
is  the  life  of  hardship  and  temptation  and  persecu- 
tion through  which  he  walked  step  by  step  until  he 
gave  up  his  life  on  the  cross  for  sinful  men!  Surely 
there  must  have  come  to  these  people  something  of 
a  realization  of  what  Christ  had  suffered  for  them, 
when  this  message  came  to  them;  and  they  would 
meet  all  the  conditions  of  their  lives,  even  unto  death, 


66       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

with  greater  courage  because  He  had  travelled  the 
same  road  for  them.  But  when  they  realized  that 
He  had  died  It  also  meant  that  He  fully  understood 
just  the  experiences  through  which  they  were  pass- 
ing, trial,  tribulation  and  persecution.  And  they 
knew  that  whatever  message  came  from  such  an 
One,  it  would  be  from  a  heart  that  beat  in  perfect 
sympathy  for  them. 

Surely  such  an  One  ought  to  touch  our  lives  with 
power  to-day.  We  sometimes  wonder  that  we  are 
called  on  to  suffer  so  much  In  this  life  and  may  be 
Inclined  to  find  fault  with  our  hard  lot.  But  surely 
we  ought  to  remember  that  Jesus  passed  through 
even  greater  trials  during  His  life  and  went  down 
Into  the  throes  of  death,  all  for  us.  This  ought  to 
fill  our  hearts  with  courage  to  endure  without  com- 
plaint. Along  with  this  Is  the  other  thought,  that 
He  who  suffered  all  this  can  surely  understand  just 
what  we  are  suffering  and  can  certainly  sympathize 
with  us  In  that  suffering.  Has  not  His  experience 
taught  Him  exactly  the  message  we  need,  even  as 
men  are  better  able  to  bring  a  helpful  message  when 
they  have  suffered?  This  thought  must  bring  com- 
fort to  men  to-day. 

But  notice,  not  only  was  He  dead,  but  is  alive 
again.  We  cannot  tell  or  even  know  or  think  of  all 
there  Is  in  this  wonderful  fact  that  He  lived  again, 


Winning  the  Crown  '         67 

He  passed  through  death  on  into  life,  conquering 
that  which  we  consider  to  be  our  greatest  enemy. 
We  may  suffer  all  kinds  of  trial  here,  even  unto 
death,  but  in  that  Jesus  has  gone  the  same  road  on 
through  death  to  life  again  we  have  the  assurance 
that  we  too  will  not  end  our  existence  when  we  die, 
but  will  pass  on  through  death  unto  life.  What  a 
joy  this  must  have  brought  to  these  people  and  what 
a  message  of  joy  such  an  One  could  speak  to  them. 
How  attentively  they  would  listen  when  they  also 
realized  that  the  message  was  not  from  One  who 
was  dead,  but  from  One  who  had  died  and  was 
alive  again.  It  was  their  living  Lord  who  was  send- 
ing the  message  to  them.  And  it  would  be  a  won- 
derful thing  to  us  to-day  if  we  could  allow  this 
thought  of  the  resurrection  of  the  Christ  to  sink  so 
deeply  into  our  hearts  that  we  would  realize  that 
He  was  giving  to  us  the  promise  of  another  life 
beyond  this,  and  that  it  is  a  living  Savior  and  a 
living  Master  who  is  speaking  to  us. 

We  are  anxious  for  the  opinions  of  great  men  on 
all  questions,  and  listen  attentively  to  the  expert 
who  speaks  from  knowledge  first-hand  and  from 
experience.  What  then  should  be  our  attitude  to- 
ward the  Christ  who  brings  to  us  a  message  to-day, 
for  He  is  ^'the  first  and  the  last,  who  was  dead  and 
lived  again" !     Old  legends  tell  us  of  magic  gates 


6S       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

that  resisted  all  attempts  to  force  them,  but  If  one 
drop  of  a  certain  blood  fell  upon  them  they  flew 
open  Immediately.  So  Jesus  Christ,  by  His  limitless 
knowledge,  by  His  life ;  by  His  death  and  by  His  liv- 
ing again,  has  opened  to  us  the  gates  of  the  boundless 
riches  of  His  knowledge  and  experience. 

Notice,  in  the  second  place,  the  Content  of  the 
Message.  The  character  of  the  messenger  will  give 
the  message  power,  but  the  content  of  the  message 
will  give  it  its  application  to  our  lives.  Christ  had 
something  to  say  to  Smyrna,  and  He  has  a  message 
for  men  to-day,  as  individuals  and  as  members  of 
the  Christian  Church. 

And  the  first  thing  He  tells  them  is  in  regard  to 
His  knowledge  of  the  special  conditions  of  their  lives. 
If  John  had  written  this  message  in  his  own  name 
as  coming  from  himself,  though  they  loved  this  man 
of  God,  they  would  no  doubt  have  answered,  in  their 
hearts  at  least,  that  he  did  not  know  or  understand 
the  conditions  through  which  they  were  passing.  But 
when  this  message  came  It  was  directly  from  One 
who  knew  what  they  were  experiencing.  They  were 
passing  through  very  trying  times,  as  a  church,  and 
no  doubt  also  as  individuals,  and  probably  became 
very  much  discouraged,  as  men  are  apt  to  become 
when  things  go  wrong.  They  believed  in  God  but 
He  seemed  so  far  away  and  really  to  have  forgotten 


Winning  the  Crown  69 

them  and  to  be  ignorant  of  their  conditions.  But 
here  was  the  assurance  that  He  knew  exactly  what 
they  were  suffering,  and  with  this  in  mind  was  send- 
ing them  a  message.  Can  you  imagine  them  casting 
this  aside  as  unimportant? 

Yet  the  same  thing  should  lay  hold  of  our  hearts 
to-day.  How  often  we  think  that  God  is  far  off 
and  apparently  ignorant  of  that  through  which  we 
are  passing!  We  become  discouraged  and  think 
that  no  one  knows  what  we  suffer.  But  here  is  the 
assurance  that  God  knows  all  the  conditions  sur- 
rounding our  lives  and  sends  us  a  message  founded 
on  that  knowledge.  He  knows  the  past,  also  the 
future,  but  with  that  He  knows,  In  a  vital  way,  the 
present,  which  is  so  important  to  us. 

Christ  says  that  He  knew  their  tribulation;  that 
is,  He  was  in  close  touch  with  their  burdens,  their 
disappointments  and  their  failures,  their  sufferings 
and  their  sorrows.  What  a  comfort  this  must  have 
brought  to  their  hearts  In  the  midst  of  all  these 
trials !  But  w^e  have  these  same  tribulations  to-day, 
for  we  endure  sorrow  and  suffering.  We  have  dis- 
appointments In  daily  life,  we  have  failures  in  our 
plans,  we  have  temptations  and  defeat  by  these 
temptations.  We  make  our  plans  along  the  line  of 
Christian  work  and  they  do  not  materialize;  we 
do  not  see  the  things  done  for  which  we  hoped. 


70       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

How  often  we  get  discouraged  and  too  often  give 
up  the  struggle !  We  think  no  one  cares  and  no  one 
really  knows  what  we  suffer.  But  the  message  from 
the  Christ  says  that  He  knows  our  tribulations.  Let 
this  thought  stay  with  us  and  comfort  and  encourage 
us  In  our  labors. 

Christ  says  that  He  knew  their  poverty.  Smyrna 
was  a  prosperous  city  with  exceptional  advantages, 
but  these  Christians  had  no  doubt  been  compelled 
to  forego  many  good  opportunities  for  worldly  suc- 
cess because  of  religious  scruples.  Therefore  many 
of  them  were  poverty-stricken.  This  may  also  refer 
to  the  condition  of  the  church  at  Smyrna,  for  made 
up  of  a  small  band  of  people,  usually  of  the  poorer 
class,  she  would  no  doubt  have  difficulty  in  carrying 
forward  the  work.  Many  demands  were  made  on 
these  Christians,  with  little  resources  to  meet  these 
demands.  Much  work  was  to  be  done  in  their  city, 
but  they  had  little  with  which  to  do  it.  How  dis- 
heartening this  would  be !  But  here  was  a  message 
of  encouragement,  for  He  who  had  called  them  to 
this  work  knew  perfectly  what  they  wanted  to  do 
and  why  they  could  not  accomplish  more  than  they 
did,  for  He  knew  their  poverty. 

Many  people  to-day  are  suffering  because  of 
poverty.  Conditions  are  such  that  they  suffer  want 
and  cannot  make  the  progress  that  they  would  like 


Winning  the  Crown  71 

to  make.  There  are  demands  in  the  home,  in  the 
community  and  in  the  Church  which  they  would  like 
to  meet  and  which  would  mean  so  much  if  they  could 
meet  them,  but  their  poverty  holds  them  back.  The 
Church  often  feels  this  same  burden.  Great  oppor- 
tunities are  before  her,  many  of  which  are  missed, 
because  of  neglect.  But  there  are  churches  that 
would  like  to  grasp  these  problems  and  meet  these 
demands  and  are  kept  from  it  because  of  poverty. 
We  make  plans  in  our  church  work  and  they  come 
to  naught  because  of  a  poverty  of  workers.  How 
often  discouragement  lays  hold  of  the  very  heart  of 
the  Church  because  there  seems  so  much  to  be  done 
and  so  little  with  which  to  do  the  work,  either  of 
money  or  of  men !  We  worry  and  we  fret  and  we 
complain,  thinking  that  the  whole  burden  rests  on 
our  shoulders,  but  He  who  has  called  us  to  this 
work  knows  the  actual  conditions  that  we  encounter. 
He  knows  why  we  fail,  whether  poverty  or  neglect, 
and  judges  accordingly.  He  knows  why  we,  as 
Christians,  are  not  making  greater  progress,  whether 
inability  or  carelessness.  He  knows  why  the  Church 
is  not  grasping  the  opportunities  that  are  opening 
to  her  each  day,  whether  poverty  or  unconcern. 

Christ  says  that  He  also  knew  their  persecution. 
There  were  those  in  Smyrna  who  claimed  to  be  Jews, 
who  spent  their  time  reviling  and  blaspheming  these 


72       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

Christians  and  making  it  as  hard  as  possible  for 
them  to  do  the  right.  These,  God  says,  belonged  to 
the  synagogue  of  Satan.  These  things  had  troubled 
them  a  great  deal  and  had  apparently  counteracted 
their  efforts  to  some  extent;  but  God  says  that  He 
knows  this  condition  is  facing  them  and  making  it 
more  difficult  for  them  to  carry  forward  the  work. 

How  often  the  work  of  Christ  is  apparently  hin- 
dered and  hampered  by  those  who  would  tear  down 
and  destroy  His  Kingdom  and  the  work  that  His  fol- 
lowers are  trying  to  do !  In  every  community  you 
will  find  those  who,  by  their  words  and  by  their 
lives,  both  public  and  private,  are  a  menace  to  the 
Cause  of  Christ.  Faithful  men  and  women  get  the 
work  of  the  Church  going  nicely,  and  the  future 
looks  bright  with  possibilities,  when  Satan  gets  in 
his  work  through  some  who  are  willing  to  serve  him, 
and  all  carefully  laid  plans  are  overthrown.  But 
the  assurance  of  this  message  is  that  God  knows 
exactly  what  we  encounter  in  the  way  of  opposition, 
in  living  the  Christian  life  and  in  trying  to  build  up 
Christian  work,  and  He  judges  according  to  these 
conditions. 

Professor  Hilty,  the  famous  Swiss  statesman  and 
author,  was  an  optimist,  but  he  grounded  his  op- 
timism on  the  victory  of  Christ.  He  said:  "If  I 
could  not  believe  the  actual  resurrection  of  Christ 


Winning  the  Crown  73 

I'd  long  since  have  become  a  pessimist."  Surely 
this  message  ought  to  bring  the  spirit  of  optimism 
Into  our  hearts  to-day,  as  it  must  have  done  to  this 
church  at  Smyrna,  when  we  realize  that  He,  who 
is  the  first  and  the  last,  who,  though  He  was  dead 
yet  is  alive  again  and  forevermore,  knows  and  un- 
derstands all  the  conditions  of  our  lives,  whether 
tribulation  or  poverty  or  persecution;  that  He  Is 
ready  to  help  and  that  He  judges  in  the  light  of  His 
infinite  knowledge. 

Then  God  reveals  to  them  something  of  what 
the  future  would  have  In  store  for  them.  No  doubt 
they  had  wished  that  they  might  know  what  they 
would  have  to  encounter  in  the  future  days  and  years, 
for  surely  it  would  bring  a  relief  from  all  their 
trials  and  troubles.  When  we  are  In  the  midst  of 
those  things  that  cause  us  pain,  that  are  difficult  to 
meet  and  to  bear,  how  often  we  wish  that  the  door 
of  the  future  could  open  to  us,  that  we  might  have 
a  glimpse  of  what  it  would  bring  to  us.  But  what 
a  blessing  it  is  that  God  has  closed  that  future ! 
There  are  only  special  occasions  in  the  history  of 
the  world  when  it  has  been  opened,  and  then  It  has 
revealed,  as  In  this  case,  a  condition  utterly  opposed 
to  man's  expectation. 

The  picture  that  is  here  displayed  to  their  vision 
is  of  a   future  characterized  by  even  worse  trials 


74       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

than  yet  experienced,  for  God  says:  "Behold,  the 
devil  is  about  to  cast  some  of  you  into  prison  that 
ye  may  be  tried;  and  ye  shall  have  tribulation  ten 
days."  What  consternation  this  must  have  brought 
into  their  hearts  when  first  they  heard  this  message, 
for  that  which  had  kept  them  up  through  their  trial 
was  the  expectation  that  these  trials  would  soon  end, 
and  here  they  are  told  that  the  future  will  bring 
even  worse  things  than  they  have  suffered  in  the 
past.  But  surely  they  could  not  expect  to  follow 
their  Christ  and  have  the  way  easy,  for  they  must 
suffer  many  things  for  a  certain  period  of  time. 

It  is  a  good  thing  for  us  to  realize  that  the  Chris- 
tian life  is  not  a  bed  of  roses,  but  full  of  those  things 
that  constitute  trials  and  hardships.  How  often  men 
are  disappointed  because  life  is  not  easier  and 
smoother  after  they  become  Christians,  but  there  is 
no  such  promise  in  God's  Word;  rather  the  promise 
is  that  if  we  would  reign  with  Christ  we  must  also 
suffer  with  Him.  Sometimes  we  think  there  must 
be  something  wrong  with  our  Christianity  because 
we  have  so  much  of  trouble  and  trial.  But  this  is 
Christ's  picture.  The  Church  need  not  look  for 
her  work  to  be  easy  and  to  be  free  from  obstacles 
and  difficulties.  And  when  she  has  passed  through 
such  a  period  she  has  been  weakened  and  lacking 
in   real   power.      God's   promise   is   for  trials   and 


Winning  the  Crown  75 

persecutions,  for  problems  to  be  solved,  for  battles 
to  be  fought,  and  by  her  attitude  In  the  midst  of 
these  unfavorable  conditions  has  she  Impressed  her- 
self on  the  world  and  won  her  way  to  victory.  We 
need  not  look  forward  to  the  time,  either  as  Indi- 
viduals or  as  a  church,  when  there  will  be  little  to 
trouble  us  and  when  we  can  rest  on  our  oars,  for 
trials  and  persecution  will  continue  until  God's  pur- 
pose Is  fulfilled,  until  the  completion  of  the  allotted 
time. 

But  with  this  picture  God  gives  them  a  promise 
for  the  future  that  will  sustain  them  In  all  these  trials 
and  persecutions.  The  clouds  may  have  looked  dark 
but  over  against  this  the  glory  of  the  sunset  would 
be  all  the  brighter.  God  might  demand  much  of 
them  in  the  future,  but,  as  a  result  and  a  reward.  He 
had  great  things  in  store  for  them.  And  the  whole 
plan  is  made  plain  to  them,  for  this  promise  will 
be  fulfilled  when  they  have  fulfilled  certain  condi- 
tions which  are  directly  related  to  that  future  with 
its  persecutions.  And  this  time  of  trial  predicted 
for  them  was  the  opportunity  to  make  good  and 
to  realize  the  reward.  And  when  we  are  compelled 
to  meet  those  things  in  life  that  disturb  and  that 
test,  that  make  the  Christian  life  hard  to  live,  that 
make  the  church  work  hard  to  perform,  let  us  re- 
member that  the  blessings  of  God  will  be  conditioned 


76       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

on  how  we  live  and  how  we  labor  in  the  midst  of 
these  surroundings.  Strength  of  character  is  not 
acquired  by  the  easy  conditions  but  by  the  difficult 
ones. 

So  God  urges  a  continuance  of  their  faithfulness, 
for  He  says  to  them,  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death." 
This  was  especially  applicable  to  the  people  of 
Smyrna  because  their  chief  characteristic  was  that 
of  fidelity.  When  the  people  of  Asia  Minor,  in 
general,  opposed  the  Caesars,  the  people  of  Smyrna 
remained  aloof  from  all  conspiracies  and  were  faith- 
ful to  the  existing  government.  When  the  Roman 
a^'rmy  was  in  difficulty  and  the  soldiers  were  suffer- 
ing the  hardships  of  winter  in  the  campaign  against 
Mithridates,  the  citizens  of  Smyrna  stripped  them- 
selves of  all  the  clothing  they  could  possibly  spare 
and  sent  it  to  the  army.  So  that  they  were  known 
far  and  wide  for  their  fidelity.  Surely  they  would 
be  willing  to  show  the  same  characteristic  in  their 
Christian  lives. 

When  we  look  closely  at  our  daily  lives  we  will 
find  that  faithfulness  and  not  achievement  is  what 
really  counts.  We  will  not  have  anything  to  do  with 
the  man  or  the  woman  who  proves  to  be  unfaithful. 
This  is  demanded  in  the  home  life  and  in  our  daily 
associations  with  our  fellowmen,  whatever  we  may 
be  doing.    We  are  ourselves  faithful  to  the  different 


Winning  the  Crown  77 

relationships  of  life  and  would  not  expect  to  suc- 
ceed on  any  other  ground.  In  the  home  we  would 
not  expect  to  be  respected  were  we  not  faithful  to 
its  vows.  If  this  is  true,  how  much  more  shall  this 
demand  be  made  on  us  in  the  Christian  life!  But 
are  men  showing  the  same  faithfulness  here  as  else- 
where? 

There  is  a  call  to  be  faithful  to  the  very  highest 
and  best  in  ourselves.  We  have  high  ideals,  we  have 
lofty  conceptions  of  right  and  wrong,  we  have 
strong,  vital  Impulses  that  would  pull  us  upward. 
We  have  principles  and  aims  and  ambitions  and 
aspirations  that  are  the  very  best  and  come  from  the 
best  part  of  our  nature.  But  what  are  men  doing 
with  them  to-day?  How  often  we  let  them  pass  with 
little  notice  and  give  our  attention  to  other  things! 
But  in  this  we  are  guilty  of  the  charge  of  unfaith- 
fulness. 

Again  there  is  a  call  for  faithfulness  to  the  Cause 
of  Christ.  The  work  of  Christ,  delegated  to  men, 
placed  for  the  most  part  in  the  custody  of  His 
Church,  is  coming  to  us  with  certain  demands  in  or- 
der that  this  work  shall  be  done.  The  need  is  for 
money  to  carry  forward  this  work;  there  is  need  for 
men  and  women  who  will  put  the  very  best  they 
have,  even  their  very  lives,  into  the  word,  in  order 
to  meet  the  demands  and  grasp  the  opportunities. 


78       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

There  never  has  been  a  time  when  the  Church  had 
before  her  such  an  opportunity  for  bringing  the 
world  to  the  Christ,  but  what  shall  we  do  with  this 
call?  How  often  we  find  ourselves  too  busy  with 
other  things,  too  concerned  for  the  opinions  of  our 
fellowmen,  too  thoughtful  for  the  attitude  some  one 
may  have  taken  toward  us,  or  too  insistent  on  having 
our  own  way!     And  we  prove  ourselves  unfaithful. 

There  is  a  call  coming  to  us  for  faithfulness  to 
Christ  Himself.  Christ  is  making  certain  demands 
on  men  to-day.  He  is  asking  that  we  shall  accept 
Him  as  our  Savior,  that  we  shall  take  Him  as  our 
Master,  that  we  shall  listen  to  His  voice,  that  we 
shall  practice  His  teachings  in  our  individual  lives. 
Christ  has  given  us  standards.  He  has  given  us 
principles.  He  has  given  us  ideals,  and  asks  us  to 
put  these  into  active  use.  He  requests  that  He  shall 
become  the  center  of  our  lives,  controlling  us  in 
all  our  activities.  But  what  are  men  doing  with  this 
demand?  Too  often  we  say  that  the  teachings  of 
Christ  are  not  practicable,  because  we  do  not  want 
to  practice  them.  We  put  our  selfish  interests,  our 
business,  our  pleasure,  our  ease,  as  the  center,  and 
if  Christ  has  any  place  at  all  let  Him  have  an  out- 
side unimportant  corner.  But  we  have  proven  un- 
faithful. 

It  is  true  that  there  are  great  demands  being  made 


Winning  the  Crown  79 

upon  us  by  the  Christ  and  that  to  meet  these  de- 
mands means  sacrifice  and  possibly  hardship;  but  all 
the  promises  and  rewards  for  following  Jesus  Christ 
depend  on  being  faithful.  And  you  will  notice  that 
Jesus  tells  these  people  that  the  limit  of  their  faith- 
fulness is  to  be  death  itself.  Not  that  they  are  to 
be  faithful  in  their  own  way  until  they  die,  but  that 
they  shall  be  faithful  even  if  it  costs  them  their  lives. 
And  how  real  this  must  have  been  to  them,  espe- 
cially in  the  later  years  during  the  persecution  of 
Nero,  when  so  many  were  called  on  to  give  up  their 
lives  because  of  their  faithfulness! 

Let  us  ask  ourselves  as  to  how  much  of  life  we 
are  giving  up  for  those  things  to  which  God  is  call- 
ing us.  There  is  an  ancient  story  of  a  pilot  who  was 
sailing  his  boat  on  the  T^gean  Sea  during  a  terrible 
storm.  At  the  very  worst  he  was  seen  to  rise  in  his 
boat  and  to  cry  in  his  pagan  way :  "Father  Neptune, 
you  may  sink  me  if  you  will,  or  you  may  save  me 
if  you  will,  but  whatever  happens,  I  will  keep  my 
rudder  true."  Let  us  take  this  thought  with  us  into 
our  daily  lives,  that  no  matter  what  may  come  to  us, 
sink  or  saved,  we  will  keep  our  rudder  true  and 
prove  ourselves  faithful  to  Jesus  Christ  and  to  His 
Cause. 

But  what  was  the  promised  reward?  God  prom- 
ises these  people  that  if  they  will  be  faithful  unto 


8o       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

death,  "I  will  give  you  a  crown  of  life."  Here 
again  this  was  especially  applicable  to  the  people  of 
this  city.  Smyrna  was  called  the  City  of  Life,  be- 
cause of  its  brightness.  It  was  likened  to  a  glorious 
statue  with  its  feet  in  the  sea,  and,  until  a  few  years 
ago,  the  hill  back  of  the  city  was  likened  to  the  head 
of  the  statue,  on  the  top  of  which  was  a  magnificent 
castle.  This  was  known  as  the  "Garland"  or  the 
''Crown"  of  Smyrna.  Often  had  the  people  of  the 
city  been  urged  by  their  great  men  to  seek  to  have 
a  real  crown  in  good  citizenship.  Thus  this  promise 
came  with  special  force  to  the  church  at  Smyrna. 

Let  us  just  notice,  in  a  word,  what  this  promised 
crown  of  life  means  to  us.  It  surely  applies  to  some- 
thing vital  in  our  lives,  something  that  we  would 
prize  very  highly. 

Faithfulness  to  ourselves  and  the  best  in  our- 
selves gives  the  crown  of  life,  in  producing  the  high- 
est type  of  life,  in  bringing  real  joy  and  success  to 
the  individual.  When  men  have  those  high  and 
noble  aspirations,  when  they  recognize  those  high 
ideals  and  standards  and  find  an  impulse  drawing 
them  upward,  but  still  refuse  to  follow,  they  are 
casting  their  lot  on  the  side  of  that  which  will  eventu- 
ally bring  defeat  and  sorrow.  Those  best  things,  if 
followed  out,  will  produce  the  best  in  our  lives  and 
will  lift  us  toward  ideal  manhood  and  ideal  woman- 


fV inning  the  Crown  8 1 

hood. 

Faithfulness  to  the  Cause  of  Christ  will  give  the 
crown  of  a  successful  life  in  its  influence  in  the 
world,  and  the  result  will  be  for  the  uplift  of  man- 
kind. Every  man  and  woman  at  some  time  In  his 
or  her  life  has  wished  that  there  might  come  the 
possibility  and  the  power  to  touch  their  fellowmen 
and  to  lift  them  by  the  power  of  their  touch.  God 
has  given  this  opportunity  through  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ.  And  through  His  Church  He  has 
made  this  opportunity  of  such  a  compass  that  we 
can  lay  hold  of  it.  Through  this  organization  we 
can  touch  the  home  life,  we  can  touch  the  community 
life,  we  can  touch  the  national  life,  we  can  touch 
the  world  life,  and  lift  It  all  nearer  to  God  and  to 
the  plane  of  righteousness.  And  this  is  only  accom- 
plished through  the  faithfulness  of  men  to  the  Cause 
of  Christ.  And  if  the  Church  lacks  power  in  do- 
ing this  to-day  some  one  is  proving  unfaithful. 

Again,  faithfulness  to  Christ  himself  gives  the 
crown  of  an  ideal  life  realized  to-day.  Those  stand- 
ards and  those  principles  that  Christ  taught  have  led, 
are  leading,  and  will  continue  to  lead  men  upward 
to  that  which  is  ideal  life  in  all  its  relationships. 
There  Is  not  a  man  but  who  admires  Jesus  and  rec- 
ognizes the  strength  and  the  beauty,  the  power  and 
the  purity  of  His  life.     Not  a  man  but  at  his  best 


82       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

moments  has  had  a  longing  to  live  that  kind  of  a 
life,  for  we  all  acknowledge  it  to  be  the  crown  of 
life  here  on  earth,  for  there  is  nothing  better.  And 
yet  this  is  made  possible  through  faithfulness  to 
Christ  himself.  And  if  we  are  not  reaching  that 
ideal  to-day,  it  is  because  there  is  something  wrong 
with  our  faithfulness.  And  with  this  is  the  greatest 
of  all  crowns,  the  approval  of  the  Master,  both  now 
and  in  the  world  to  come.  What  a  commendation 
on  the  life  of  the  man  in  the  story  that  Jesus  him- 
self tells,  when  his  lord  says,  "Well  done,  good  and 
faithful  servant — enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
lord."  Nothing  better  could  be  imagined  or  de- 
sired, yet  it  is  all  attained  through  faithfulness. 

In  the  life  of  Isabella  Bird  the  story  is  told  that 
as  she  was  passing  through  Armenia  she  was  twice 
attacked  by  Kurds.  But  in  one  wretched  hamlet  she 
found  a  young  Armenian  who  in  conversation  with 
her  said,  "We  don't  know  much,  but  we  love  the 
Lord  Jesus  well  enough  to  die  for  Him." 

"Be  faithful  unto  death;  Christ  proffers  thee 
Crown  of  life  that  draws  immortal  breath; 
To  thee  He  saith,  yea,  and  He  saith  to  me, 
'Be  faithful  unto  death.'  " 


CHAPTER  IV 


''And  to  the  angel  of  the  church  In  Pergamum 
write : 

"These  things  salth  he  that  hath  the  sharp  two- 
edged  sword:  I  know  where  thou  dwellest,  even 
where  Satan's  throne  Is;  and  thou  holdest  fast  my 
name,  and  didst  not  deny  my  faith,  even  In  the  days 
of  Antlpas  my  witness,  my  faithful  one,  who  was 
killed  among  you,  where  Satan  dwelleth.  But  I  have 
a  few  things  against  thee,  because  thou  hast  there 
some  that  hold  the  teachings  of  Balaam,  who  taught 
Balak  to  cast  a  stumbling-block  before  the  Children 
of  Israel,  to  eat  things  sacrificed  to  idols,  and  to 
commit  fornication.  So  hast  thou  also  some  that 
hold  the  teaching  of  the  NIcolaltans  in  like  manner. 
Repent  therefore;  or  else  I  come  to  thee  quickly, 
and  I  will  make  war  against  them  with  the  sword  of 
my  mouth.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what 
the  Spirit  salth  to  the  churches.  To  him  that  over- 
cometh,  to  him  will  I  give  of  the  hidden  manna,  and 
I  will  give  him  a  white  stone,  and  upon  the  stone 
a  new  name  written,  which  no  one  knoweth  but  he 
that  recelveth  It." 

Revelation  2:  12-17. 


FAITHFULNESS  MINUS  COURAGE 

The  third  letter  in  this  series  was  written  to  the 
angel  of  the  church  at  Pergamum.  This  city  was 
the  most  important  of  Mysia,  situated  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  river  Caicus,  about  twenty  miles  from 
the  sea.  It  was  once  the  capital  of  a  wealthy  king- 
dom, ruled  over  by  a  dynasty  of  kings,  several  of 
them  called  Attalus.  The  first  of  these  came  to  the 
throne  in  241  B.  C.  His  son,  Eumenes,  who  suc- 
ceeded him  in  197  B.  C,  founded  a  celebrated 
library,  which  ultimately  was  second  only  to  that  of 
Alexandria.  Attalus  III,  who  died  in  133  B.  C, 
bequeathed  to  the  Rornans  his  movable  property. 
They  misinterpreted  the  bequest  to  mean  the  king- 
dom and  appropriated  it  at  once.  Marc  Antony 
promised  the  library,  which  did  not  belong  to  him, 
to  Cleopatra,  and  had  it  removed  to  Egypt,  where 
it  was  added  to  the  famous  Alexandrian  library. 

The  city  possessed  a  celebrated  temple  of  the  god 
iEsculapius,  the  god  of  medicine.  It  is  now  called 
Bregama  or  Bergma,  and  still  exists  as  a  town  of 
mean-looking,  wooden  houses,  interspersed  with  the 

85 


86       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

more  splendid  relics  of  antiquity.  To  the  Christian 
Church,  founded  in  this  city,  Christ  sends  a  mes- 
sage through  the  Apostle  John.  And  as  was  true 
of  the  other  letters,  the  message  is  according  to  the 
special  conditions  surrounding  this  church,  some  of 
which  we  may  find  existing  to-day. 

And  again  we  want  to  keep  in  mind,  from  the  be- 
ginning of  our  study  of  this  letter,  the  special  char- 
acteristic of  the  one  sending  the  message,  a  char- 
acteristic that  bears  special  relation  to  the  conditions 
of  the  church  and  to  her  needs.  As  we  found  In  the 
case  of  the  letter  to  the  church  at  Smyrna  that  the 
character  of  the  Christ  gave  point  and  power  to  the 
message,  so  this  one  characteristic,  mentioned  in 
the  introduction  of  this  letter,  gives  point  and  power 
to  this  message.  And  this  is  the  introduction: 
"These  things  saith  he  that  hath  the  sharp  two- 
edged  sword."  This  special  power  possessed  by  the 
Christ  In  having  this  sharp  two-edged  sword,  un- 
doubtedly refers  to  his  relation  to  the  conditions  of 
this  church,  else  there  would  be  no  reason  for  men- 
tioning this  quality. 

The  sword  Is  generally  taken  to  mean  the  Word 
of  God  and  refers  to  Its  power  In  the  lives  of  men. 
We  find  the  following  words  In  Hebrews  4:  12,  13 : 
"The  Word  of  God  is  living,  and  active,  and  sharper 
than  any  two-edged  sword,  and  piercing  even  to  the 


Faithfulness  Minus  Courage  87 

dividing  of  soul  and  spirit,  of  both  joints  and  mar- 
row, and  quick  to  discern  the  thoughts  and  intents 
of  the  heart.  And  there  is  no  creature  that  is  not 
manifest  in  his  sight;  but  all  things  are  naked  and 
laid  open  before  the  eyes  of  him  with  whom  we 
have  to  do."  The  possession  of  a  sword  naturally 
gives  the  idea  of  power  to  punish  or  to  destroy,  but 
in  this  introduction  we  want  to  see  principally  the 
power  of  discernment,  representing  the  power  pos- 
sessed by  the  Christ  to  discern  the  thoughts 
and  intents  of  the  heart.  We  want  to  emphasize 
the  fact  that  there  is  no  creature  that  is  not  mani- 
fest in  His  sight;  but  all  things  are  naked  and  laid 
open  before  Him  with  whom  we  have  to  do.  One 
thing  men  need  to  remember  is  that  Jesus  Christ 
knows  and  understands  all  the  conditions  of  Hfe  and 
of  heart.  We  may  hide  things  from  men,  but  we 
cannot  hide  them  from  God. 

Notice  the  result  of  this  power  of  discernment. 
These  people  of  Pergamum,  especially  the  members 
of  this  church  to  which  the  message  Is  sent,  may 
have  thought  that  God  did  not  know  what  was  go- 
ing on  in  the  city  and  In  the  church.  No  doubt  they 
had  covered  up  a  great  deal  of  actual  conditions 
from  their  fellowmen,  as  men  to-day  are  able  to  do. 
But  here  is  One  who  asserts  his  knowledge  of  even 
the  thoughts  and  purposes  of  the  life.     It  is  really 


88       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

astonishing  how  little  our  fellowmen  know  about  us, 
either  of  the  good  or  the  evil,  either  our  sorrows  or 
our  joys;  but  there  is  One  who  has  the  power  to 
see  and  to  understand  all  the  conditions  of  heart 
and  life.  So  the  message  of  Christ's  power  of  dis- 
cernment comes  home  to  us  to-day  and  we  will  be 
interested  in  the  result  of  this  power. 

Christ  knows  the  predominant  factor  of  the  life, 
for  he  says:  "I  know  where  thou  dwellest,  even 
where  Satan's  throne  is."  This  city  of  Pergamum 
was  the  very  center  and  stronghold  of  idol  worship. 
The  symbol  of  this  god  of  medicine,  i^sculapius,  was 
a  serpent,  which  is  also  the  symbol  of  Satan.  So 
Christ  takes  this  worship  of  the  heathen  god  as  the 
embodiment  of  the  power  that  is  opposed  to  him. 
A  beautiful  temple  of  this  god  was  in  Pergamum 
and  the  city  seemed  to  be  under  the  control  of  this 
heathen  worship.  It  was  appealing  to  the  lower  ap- 
petites and  animal  impulses  of  men  and  was  the 
predominant  factor  in  the  city,  so  much  so  that 
Christ  describes  it  as  being  the  place  where  Satan's 
throne  is. 

No  doubt  the  people  in  this  church  had  been  very 
much  discouraged  because  of  these  conditions,  and 
they  could  not  make  progress  against  such  over- 
whelming opposition;  but  Christ  assures  them  that 
He  knows  the  whole  situation,  the  temptations  that 


Faithfulness  Minus  Courage  89 

come  to  them  because  of  their  surroundings,  and 
the  discouragement  of  fighting  against  such  a  strong 
force.  In  the  letter  to  the  church  at  Smyrna  the 
fact  was  brought  out  that  Christ  knew  their  troubles 
and  their  tribulations  and  their  poverty.  But  the 
message  here  is  that  Christ  possesses  the  power  of 
discernment,  which  enables  Him  to  know  also  the 
conditions  of  sin  and  the  factor  in  life  that  is  pre- 
dominant. 

Let  us  get  from  this  that  Christ  knows  the  pre- 
dominant factor  in  every  community.  In  every 
community  there  are  two  distinct  factors  seeking  for 
control,  that  of  Satan  in  the  evil  tendencies  and  that 
of  Christ  in  the  good  tendencies.  These  may  exist 
side  by  side  but  one  or  the  other  is  in  control,  one 
or  the  other  is  on  the  throne  in  every  community. 
We  get  a  certain  idea  of  the  community  in  which 
we  live,  and  think  that  because  we  live  in  it  and  it  is 
our  home,  somehow  it  is  a  pretty  good  place  after 
all.  Of  course  we  will  acknowledge  that  there  are 
many  things  that  ought  not  to  exist,  but  in  spite  of 
that  fact,  it  is  not  so  bad  as  it  might  be.  And 
often  we  become  puffed  up  with  pride  in  our  town 
and  community  because  it  is  prosperous  and  no 
outrageous  crimes  are  committed  such  as  disgrace 
other  towns.  But  not  always  do  you  find  the  actual 
conditions  revealed  on  the  outside,  for  the  real  ten- 


90       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

dency  Is  to  be  found  by  the  direction  of  the  current 
underneath. 

No  matter  what  may  be  our  opinion,  there  Is 
One  who  has  the  sharp  two-edged  sword  who  Is 
able  to  discern  the  hidden  things  and  before  whom 
nothing  Is  covered,  and  He  knows  the  conditions 
of  each  community  as  they  really  are. 

We  go  into  a  new  community  and  find  certain 
ideals  and  standards  prevalent,  and  soon  will  we 
fall  in  line.  We  think  that  because  others  are  do- 
ing these  things  they  must  be  all  right,  and  give 
little  thought  to  the  tendency  of  such  a  life.  There 
is  a  tendency  either  upward  or  downward,  either 
toward  God  or  away  from  Him,  which  Is  shown  by 
the  things  that  are  allowed  and  countenanced.  There 
are  things  In  each  town  and  community  that  do  not 
show  a  very  strong  movement  toward  God,  and 
what  is  our  attitude  toward  such  things?  If  God 
is  on  the  throne.  He  will  be  ruling;  but  if  Satan  Is 
on  the  throne,  he  will  rule.  And  you  will  often 
find  the  throne  of  Satan  In  towns  and  cities  that 
think  they  are  quite  respectable  and  above  the  aver- 
age. 

And  it  is  this  condition  that  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  must  face  and  must  fight,  and  how  often  men 
become  discouraged  because  they  are  not  able  to 
make  the  progress  that  they  think  should  be  made ! 


Faithfulness  Minus  Courage  91 

We  see  the  people  of  the  town  more  concerned 
about  things  of  minor  importance  than  the  things 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  Many  do  not  seem  to 
know  that  the  Church  exists  and  seldom,  if  ever, 
darken  a  church  door.  The  power  of  Satan  seems 
to  have  them  under  its  control  and  the  Church  can- 
not make  any  impression.  But  what  comfort  in  the 
message  that  Christ,  who  has  founded  His  Church 
and  has  called  us  to  labor  in  His  Church,  knows  the 
actual  conditions  that  the  Church  must  fight,  for 
He  knows  where  Satan's  throne  is ! 

God  knows  the  exact  character  of  the  Church  and 
what  is  the  dominant  factor  there.  As  we  continue 
our  study  we  will  find  that  this  Church  in  Pergamum 
was  not  as  good  as  it  ought  to  have  been,  but  God 
knew  all  this,  for  He  saw  into  the  innermost  life 
of  the  Church. 

Always  will  you  find  that  there  are  two  factors 
in  the  church  life,  the  power  of  evil  and  the  power 
of  good,  each  seeking  to  get  and  to  hold  control. 
Satan  is  trying  to  erect  his  throne,  Christ  is  trying 
to  erect  His  throne,  and  one  of  these  opposing  pow- 
ers has  his  throne  in  each  church.  There  is  no  place 
where  Satan  desires  so  much  to  hold  his  court  as  in 
church  circles,  and  too  often  the  members  of  the 
Church  are  bidding  him  welcome.  Men  have  their 
standard  of  judgment  of  an  ideal  Church.     Often 


92       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

we  think  If  we  have  a  fine  building  and  a  strong  or- 
ganization, that  the  Church  is  successful.  But  this 
does  not  always  show  the  inside  of  the  church  life. 
Though  they  are  good  to  have,  yet  there  are  other 
things  that  ought  to  be  the  cause  of  greater  concern. 

The  Church's  real  life  will  be  seen  in  that  which 
Is  the  uppermost  aim  of  the  Church.  God  founded 
the  Church  to  bring  men  and  women  to  Jesus  Christ, 
but  how  often  her  work  is  allowed  to  degenerate  into 
an  effort  to  outdo  some  other  organization,  to  have 
a  larger  membership  than  a  neighboring  church, 
and  to  get  hold  of  the  best  people  in  the  community 
and  let  the  others  that  need  Jesus  Christ  go  where 
they  please.  When  men  and  women  think  only  of 
their  own  particular  denomination  and  of  how  they 
may  magnify  that  special  church,  then  Satan  has 
erected  his  throne  there  and  they  are  doing  his 
special  work,  for  they  have  lost  their  influence  In 
saving  men  and  women  from  their  sins.  When  a 
church  loses  Its  hold  on  those  truths  that  are  funda- 
mental, a  belief  in  God  and  in  Jesus  Christ  as  the 
Son  of  God  and  the  Savior  of  the  world,  a  behef  in 
the  sinfulness  of  man  and  his  need  of  a  Savior,  when 
this  happens,  Satan  Is  In  control. 

Again  the  controlling  power  in  a  church  is  to  be 
seen  by  the  attitude  of  the  members  toward  the 
work  of  the  Church.    When  men  and  women  think 


Faithfulness  Minus  Courage  93 

more  of  their  business,  their  pleasure  and  their  ease 
than  they  do  of  the  success  of  the  Church  in  her 
work;  when  they  will  not  give  at  least  one-seventh 
of  their  time,  but  must  take  the  Lord's  Day  for 
pleasure  or  profit;  when  they  will  not  give  at  least 
one-tenth  of  their  income  for  the  advancement  of 
Christ's  Kingdom,  certain  is  it  that  Christ  is  not 
in  control  in  that  church.  When  the  members  of 
a  church  do  not  take  interest  in  her  times  of  wor- 
ship, but  spend  their  time  other  than  in  the  House 
of  God  on  God's  Day,  or  attend  the  picture  show 
instead  of  the  prayer  meeting,  or  will  refuse  to  back 
up  the  plans  of  their  church  for  bringing  men  and 
women  to  Jesus  Christ,  surely  Christ  has  not  been 
enthroned  in  that  church.  And  Christ  Himself 
knows  the  conditions.  We  cannot  judge,  for  our 
knowledge  is  incomplete,  but  He  will  judge,  for 
He  knows  the  predominant  factor  in  each  church. 

Need  we  say  that  God  knows  the  actual  condi- 
tions of  the  individual  life,  reading  the  innermost 
thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart?  No  matter  how 
good  we  may  be,  there  is  something  that  is  evil  in 
our  lives.  How  much  is  good  and  how  much  is 
evil,  our  fellowmen  may  not  know,  we  may  not  be 
sure  of  it  ourselves,  but  He  who  is  able  to  divide 
both  joints  and  marrow  with  His  sharp  two-edged 
sword,  will  cut  between  that  which  is  evil  and  that 


94       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

which  Is  good,  and  will  know  of  a  certainty  which 
controls.  We  may  pose  as  moral  men  and  women 
before  others,  we  may  have  our  names  on  the  regis- 
ter of  some  church,  we  may  wrap  about  us  a  robe 
of  self-righteousness.  Our  fellowmen  cannot  go  be- 
neath this,  they  cannot  judge  as  to  the  condition  of 
the  heart  and  the  predominant  factor  there,  but 
there  is  One  who  knows  and  has  the  right  to  judge, 
for  all  things  are  open  and  naked  before  Him  with 
whom  we  have  to  do. 

A  big  New  York  bank,  on  receiving  a  deposit, 
noticed  a  twenty-dollar  note  that  did  not  look  genu- 
ine. So  they  asked  the  depositor  to  sign  his  name 
to  it,  that  when  it  was  examined  more  carefully  at 
the  close  of  the  day,  they  would  know  to  whom  it 
belonged.  We  are  signing  our  names  to  our  daily 
deeds  and  we  are  facing  that  sharp  two-edged  sword 
that  will  cut  between  the  good  and  the  evil  and 
reveal  the  actual  condition  of  heart  and  life. 

Also  from  this  knowledge  Christ  has  power  to 
understand  and  know  the  exact  attitude  that  men 
are  taking  toward  sin.  There  is  sin  in  every  com- 
munity. Men  are  taking  a  definite  attitude  toward 
that  sin.  God  knows  what  that  attitude  is.  There 
is  sin  in  every  church;  it  creeps  in  regardless  of  all 
care.  There  are  conditions  in  the  Church  that  ought 
to  be  changed,  but  what  is  our  attitude  toward  this 


Faithfulness  Minus  Courage  95 

condition?  There  Is  sin  In  each  life,  plenty  of  It  In 
each  one  of  our  lives,  but  what  Is  the  attitude  that 
we  are  taking  toward  this  sin?  God  only  knows. 
We  may  be  silent  In  regard  to  what  we  think  about 
sinful  conditions  as  they  exist  without  or  within  us, 
and  thus  fool  our  fellowmen,  who  may  think  one 
thing  or  another.  But  we  cannot  fool  God,  for  He 
knows  where  we  stand,  even  as  He  knew  the  stand 
taken  by  the  people  of  this  church  at  Pergamum. 
And  with  this  knowledge  of  men,  God  expresses  His 
attitude  towards  them,  which  we  gather  from  His 
attitude  toward  this  early  Christian  Church. 

He  commends  their  faithfulness  In  the  midst  of 
sin.  It  was  a  situation  that  tried  them  to  the  utter- 
most. This  being  the  very  centre  and  capital  and  the 
throne  of  Satan,  the  people  being  under  the  control 
of  this  heathen  religion,  and  the  city  being  dominated 
by  this  heathen  power.  It  was  no  small  matter  that 
these  Christians  stood  for  their  religion  In  face  of 
it  all.  And  from  what  we  gather  from  this  letter, 
these  heathen  people  were  not  Inclined  to  make  it 
easy  and  pleasant  for  the  Christians  to  live  there. 
As  Christ  knew  their  environment,  so  He  knew  their 
faithfulness. 

The  name  of  this  great  medicine  god  was  on  the 
lips  of  the  people,  and  for  whatever  blessings 
they  received  this  god  was  given  the  glory.     But 


g6       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

these  Christians  had  held  fast  the  name  of  Jesus 
and,  standing  apart  from  the  others,  had  contended 
that  what  blessings  they  received  came  from  Him. 
Others  were  following  the  kind  of  a  life,  fashioned 
by  their  religion,  which  was  anything  but  clean  and 
pure,  and  they  would  oppose  and  despise  any  other 
way  of  living.  But  these  Christians  stood  out 
against  that  kind  of  a  life  and  followed  the  teachings 
and  endeavored  to  live  as  He  lived.  This  brought 
them  before  the  attention  of  the  rest  of  the  people, 
and  no  doubt  much  persuasion  and  urging  was 
brought  to  bear  on  them,  and  they  probably  suffered 
no  little  persecution  in  order  that  they  might  turn 
from  this  way  of  living  and  do  as  others  did.  But 
Christ  commends  them  because  they  did  not  deny 
the  faith,  they  did  not  turn  their  backs  on  what  they 
had  been  taught  about  the  Christian  way  of  living. 
And  so  persistent  and  so  fierce  became  this  opposi- 
tion that  one  of  their  number,  at  least,  was  put  to 
death  for  his  faithfulness,  others  were  no  doubt 
thrown  into  prison,  for  the  persecution  would  not 
stop  with  one  man.  In  view  of  these  things,  they 
did  not  know  but  that  death  awaited  them  also. 
Nevertheless  they  remained  faithful. 

And  what  a  message  there  is  in  this  for  Chris- 
tians to-day!  As  we  see  the  sin  all  about  us  in  any 
community,  for  Satan  is  always  at  work  trying  to 


Faithfulness  Minus  Courage  97 

overthrow  the  kingdom  of  righteousness,  It  calls 
for  a  good  deal  of  courage  to  stand  out  in  open 
opposition  to  this  sin.  For  men  will  oppose  us,  and 
they  will  persecute  In  so  far  as  they  dare.  It  Is  not 
easy  to  stand  against  those  things  that  are  wrong 
in  the  Church,  either  In  her  life  or  her  doctrine,  for 
others  will  misunderstand  and  misrepresent  and  call 
you  a  back  number  and  an  old  fogy.  It  is  not  easy 
to  condemn  sin  In  the  lives  of  men,  not  always  easy 
to  oppose  the  sin  in  our  own  lives,  and  it  means  a 
struggle  and  a  warfare. 

But  what  a  blessing  that  God,  who  knows  all  the 
conditions  surrounding  us,  who  knows  the  fight  we 
make  and  against  what  odds,  commends  us  when 
we  are  faithful.  Surely  men  could  not  have  any 
greater  incentive  to  remain  firm  In  their  attributing 
to  God  the  blessings  of  life.  The  others  may  thank 
the  conditions  or  themselves;  shall  we  not  thank  our 
God  and  hold  fast  His  name  as  the  one  that  is  above 
every  name?  Though  it  may  cost  a  great  deal  to 
live  the  Christian  life  and  remain  true  to  what  we 
know  to  be  Christian,  let  us  seek  the  commendation 
of  our  Lord  by  refusing  to  deny  the  faith,  no  matter 
what  may  be  the  temptation  and  the  Incentive  to 
live  otherwise. 

But  though  Christ  commends  these  people  for 
their  faithfulness  in  the  midst  of  these  difficult  con- 


98       What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

ditlons,  yet  it  seems  that  the  situation  had  become 
too  much  for  them.  And  Christ  says  that  He  has 
some  few  things  against  them,  for  He  condemns 
in  them  the  spirit  of  compromise  with  that  which 
was  evil.  Reference  is  made  in  the  letter  to  an  in- 
cident in  the  history  of  Israel,  when  Balak,  led  by 
the  teaching  and  the  suggestion  of  Balaam,  had  in- 
fluenced the  Children  of  Israel  to  turn  from  the 
direct  commands  of  God  and  to  eat  that  which  had 
been  offered  to  idols,  which  eventually  led  to  their 
entering  into  the  sinful  practices  of  the  idol-worship- 
ers. So  Christ  says  there  are  those  among  the  mem- 
bers of  this  Christian  Church  who  hold  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Nicolaitans,  who  were  persuaded  to  eat 
that  which  was  offered  to  the  idols,  and,  by  this, 
were  led  themselves  into  the  sins  of  the  idol-wor- 
shipers. 

The  religion  of  the  idol  was  pleasant;  it  was 
popular,  for  everybody  was  doing  it;  and  it  ap- 
pealed to  that  which  was  very  strong  in  them,  their 
physical  appetites.  If  they  refused,  it  would  mean 
that  they  would  be  cut  off  from  their  associates, 
they  would  be  laughed  at,  and  they  would  no  doubt 
suffer  persecution.  Now  what  harm  was  there  in 
eating  that  meat,  even  though  it  had  been  offered 
to  the  idol;  was  not  the  meat  just  as  good  as  any 
other?    They  could  live  just  as  good  a  life  by  asso- 


Faithfulness  Minus  Courage  99 

dating  with  these  people,  and  would  be  in  a  better 
position  to  do  them  good  and  to  teach  them  the 
truths  of  the  Christian  religion  than  if  they  held 
aloof  from  them.  So  some  had  followed  this  line 
of  least  resistance,  but  God  condemns  this  compro- 
mising course.  And  you  will  find  that  there  is  a 
strong  tendency  to-day  to  follow  this  same  course, 
for  the  appeal  is  coming  to  us  to  compromise  with 
that  which  is  over  against  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ.  This  temptation  comes  to  us  along  the 
line  of  those  things  in  life  that  are,  at  best,  ques- 
tionable, and  in  many  cases  openly  wrong.  We  find 
this  in  the  standards  that  are  presented  to  us  by 
which  we  shall  live  in  our  homes  and  in  our  daily 
work.  It  comes  to  us  along  the  Hne  of  our  pleasures. 
It  comes  to  us  along  the  line  of  the  attitude  we  shall 
take  towards  things  religious.  The  same  sugges- 
tions are  made  to-day,  for  sin  and  Satan  never 
change,  and  they  are  receiving  the  same  response  in 
the  hearts,  and  too  often  in  the  lives,  of  those  who 
are  professed  followers  of  Jesus  Christ.  This 
message  was  not  to  the  outsiders  but  to  those  who 
were  members  of  the  Christian  Church  and  must, 
therefore,  apply  there  to-day. 

The  suggestion  is  made  to  us  that  there  is  nothing 
exactly  wrong  in  this  that  we  are  asked  to  do ;  noth- 
ing wrong  in  those  little  pieces  of  pasteboard  known 


100    What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

as  a  deck  of  cards;  nothing  wrong  in  keeping  time 
to  music,  even  as  there  was  nothing  wrong  with  the 
meat  that  these  people  were  asked  to  eat.  The 
wrong,  we  are  told,  is  in  the  heart  of  the  man  or 
the  woman.  Then  again  the  argument  comes  to  us 
that  everybody  is  doing  it;  it  is  the  popular  thing 
to  do.  If  I  do  not  follow  this  course  I  will  be  cut 
out  of  all  the  amusements  that  others  are  enjoying; 
I  will  be  laughed  at  and  ostracized  by  my  associates, 
for  they  will  not  care  for  my  company.  Cannot  I 
do  these  things  and  still  live  a  Christian  life  in  the 
midst  of  these  surroundings?  And  by  so  doing  I 
will  be  able  to  lead  these  same  people  to  recognize 
my  religion. 

Satan  surely  has  his  plan  worked  out  to  perfec- 
tion, and  he  knows,  though  men  may  not,  that  the 
whole  thing  is  a  lie  from  the  beginning.  But  we 
must  see  that  God  objects  to  such  a  course.  It  is 
not  vital  what  the  Church  may  say  about  such  things, 
for  the  Church  might  be  wrong;  it  makes  little 
difference  what  certain  Christians  may  say  about  it, 
for  they  may  be  prejudiced;  but  it  does  make  a 
vital  difference  what  God  says.  And  He  condemns 
such  a  compromising  course  and  gives  His  reasons 
for  such  condemnation. 

God  objects  because  such  a  course  has  the  ten- 
dency to  lead  a  man  or  woman  into  sin  that  is  con- 


Faithfulness  Minus  Courage  lOi 

nected  with  that  which  is  questionable.  The  objec- 
tion to  the  meat  was  that  it  had  been  devoted  to  the 
idol.  All  others  ate  it  as  such,  and  a  Christian  eating 
this  meat  would  be  looked  upon  as  openly  recogniz- 
ing the  idol.  This  in  itself  was  sin.  But  it  led  to 
even  worse  sin,  for  the  man  was  thus  thrown  into 
the  midst  of  the  sinful  practices  of  the  idol-worship, 
and  he  would  find  it  doubly  difficult  to  resist  that 
which  was  openly  wrong  and  sinful.  Thus  Israel 
had  been  led  to  sin,  thus  the  Christians  in  Perga- 
mum  had  been  led  to  sin,  and  thus  men  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world  have  been  led  to  sin. 

Let  us  get  this  clear.  The  objection  God  has  to 
questionable  methods  in  daily  life  and  to  the  manner 
of  amusements  that  are  on  the  borderline  between 
right  and  wrong,  is  that  they  have  been  devoted  to 
the  service  of  Satan  and  are  used  in  this  service  by 
those  who  habitually  follow  such  practices.  They 
are  recognized  as  instruments  for  unrighteousness 
by  those  who  are  interested  in  upholding  sinful  prac- 
tices. Their  predominant  use  is  for  producing  sinful 
results,  and  those  who  partake  of  such  practices 
are  looked  upon  as  favoring  such  results.  It  is  a 
recognition  of  the  power  of  Evil,  which  is  arrayed 
against  Christ  and  His  Kingdom. 

Along  with  this  is  the  fact  that  such  a  compro- 
mising position  throws  any  man  or  woman  into  the 


102     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

midst  of  that  which  is  openly  sinful,  which  tempta- 
tion will  be  harder  to  resist.  We  may  be  met  with 
the  old  story  of  man  or  woman  being  able  to  resist 
all  that  which  is  directly  sinful,  connected  with  these 
things,  and  being  at  the  same  time  an  influence  for 
good  in  the  lives  of  those  with  whom  they  associate. 
But  the  general  trend  has  been  to  drag  down  the 
one  rather  than  to  lift  up  the  other.  How  many 
men  and  women  have  gone  wrong  because  they  trav- 
eled too  near  the  borderline?  And,  often  indeed 
does  this  result  follow,  that  a  man  or  woman  will 
become  so  taken  up  with  these  things,  which  may 
or  may  not  be  wrong  in  themselves  but  which,  at 
best,  are  near  the  border,  until  they  have  lost  sight 
of  that  which  is  of  vastly  more  importance,  the 
service  of  God.  Their  interest,  their  time,  their 
money,  their  energy,  become  centred  in  these  things 
to  the  exclusion  of  the  claims  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God  and  the  demands  of  the  Church.  The  interests 
of  the  Church  are  forgotten,  her  plans  are  thrown 
aside,  and  her  work  is  neglected.  Can  any  one  deny 
that  such  a  course  is  wrong,  in  which  no  Christian 
ought  to   indulge? 

Another  reason  why  God  objected  to  this  course 
was  that  thus  these  Christians  were  stumbling  blocks 
in  the  way  of  others.  He  charges  them  that  they 
have   followed  the  teaching  of  Balaam,   who  led 


Faithfulness  Minus  Courage  103 

Balak  to  cause  the  Children  of  Israel  to  sin.  And 
surely  we  do  not  need  to  use  our  imagination  to  see 
that  those  Christians  in  Pergamum,  who  were  at- 
tending the  feasts  of  the  heathen  gods  and  eating 
the  meat  offered  to  the  heathen  idols,  were  stumbling 
blocks  in  the  way  of  any  in  that  city  who  might 
otherwise  have  been  led  to  become  followers  of 
Jesus  Christ.  God  had  called  them  that  they  might 
lead  others  to  Christ.  But  those  with  whom  they 
associated  were  not  very  strongly  impressed  by  their 
religion  when  they  saw  them  doing  the  same  things 
as  others,  and  that  which  this  new  religion  was  seek- 
ing to  overthrow.  They  were  taking  part  in  the 
worship  of  the  god  that  was  opposed  to  the  God 
whom  they  professed  to  serve.  They  claimed  for 
this  gospel  message  an  exceptional  purity  and  power, 
still  their  lives  were  no  different  from  others.  They 
thus  weakened  the  influence  of  the  Christian  Church 
in  that  city  and  kept  some  out  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God. 

We  claim  that  there  is  a  purity  and  a  power  in  the 
Christian  religion,  that  the  principles  of  Christ  de- 
mand freedom  from  sin.  But  does  not  our  claim 
lose  its  effect  when  others  see  that  this  religion  has 
not  changed  our  attitude  toward  those  things  that 
are  near  the  borderline,  the  predominant  factor  of 
which  is  service  to  Satan?     The  man  who  is  not  a 


104    What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

Christian  intends  to  be  such  some  day,  but  his  con- 
ception of  the  Christian  religion  is  that  it  will  make 
a  change  in  his  life.  And  our  brand  of  Christianity 
will  not  appeal  to  him  if  we  do  the  things  that  he 
does  now  and  which  he  recognizes  to  be  wrong. 
Therefore,  if  we  take  this  compromising  course  we 
have  counteracted  and  destroyed  our  influence  over 
our  fellowmen.  God's  demand  is  that  we  shall  lead 
others  to  Jesus  Christ,  but  others  are  getting  their 
views  of  the  Christian  religion  from  what  they  see 
in  us,  and  too  often  it  is  the  kind  of  religion  they 
do  not  want.  This  in  itself  should  warn  us  from 
such  a  course. 

What  shall  be  the  attitude  of  the  Church  toward 
such  conditions?  In  the  closing  words  of  this 
message  we  find  mentioned  the  other  quality  of  the 
sword,  namely,  its  power  to  punish  and  destroy,  for 
God  says,  ''I  will  make  war  against  them  with  the 
sword  of  my  mouth."  The  sword  of  God's  Word 
comes  into  a  man's  sinful  life  and  destroys  that  life, 
by  condemnation  of  its  course.  Any  man  who  is 
doing  the  thing  that  is  wrong  and  will  turn  to  the 
Word  of  God,  read  carefully  and  honestly,  will  find 
that  it  has  destroyed  his  peace  of  conscience.  We 
know  when  we  are  living  the  life  that  is  not  straight 
and  clean  and  out  and  out  for  that  which  is  right 
beyond  question;  we  know  that  God  in  His  Word 


Faithfulness  Minus  Courage  105 

condemns  such  a  course;  and  no  man  In  his  right 
mind  can  be  content  and  satisfied  when  he  knows 
that  God  is  condemning  his  course  of  life.  He  loses 
the  peace  that  Christ  has  promised  to  those  that 
follow  Him.  The  Word  of  God  also  destroys  the 
chances  of  the  man  who  is  compromising  with  sin 
for  ever  reaching  the  ideal  life,  for  which  we  long, 
and  for  ever  attaining  the  approval  of  our  Lord  and 
Master.  And  when  a  man  or  woman  has  lost  this, 
there  is  little  for  which  to  live. 

But  you  will  find  that  though  this  punishment  is 
individual,  yet  the  Church  suffers  with  the  individ- 
uals. This  church  at  Pergamum  was  suffering  be- 
cause of  the  mistakes  of  her  members.  And  every 
church  suffers,  in  the  estimation  that  the  world  has 
of  her  and  her  Lord,  and  in  the  influence  that  the 
Church  has  in  the  community  because  of  those  among 
her  members  who  side-step  into  ways  of  sin  and 
wrong-doing.  This  thought  should  rest  heavily  on 
our  hearts  and  minds  and  cause  us  to  be  more  careful 
as  to  the  character  of  those  things  which  have  been 
allowed  a  place  in  our  lives. 

So  because  the  Church  suffered,  the  Church  was 
called  on  to  repent.  Undoubtedly  this  church  had 
become  weak  and  had  hesitated  about  taking  a  stand 
against  the  course  of  some  of  her  members.  The 
majority  of  the  members  of  that  church  were  faith- 


io6     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

ful,  but  they  lacked  the  courage  to  stand  out  against 
that  which  was  creeping  into  the  church  hfe  and 
destroying  her  power.  So  there  was  a  call  for  these 
people  to  repent,  which  would  mean  that  they  should 
turn  about  and  go  the  other  way,  namely,  that  they, 
as  a  Church,  should  take  an  uncompromising  attitude 
toward  those  who,  because  of  their  lives,  had  worked 
havoc  in  the  church  life  and  work. 

There  are  undoubtedly  some  things  that  rest  be- 
tween the  individual  and  his  God,  but  even  on  these 
the  Church  should  take  a  stand  as  to  what  she  is 
going  to  teach.  A  great  many  people  will  get  their 
ideas  of  right  and  wrong  from  what  the  Church 
teaches,  and  the  call  of  the  Church  is  to  teach  the 
uncompromising  attitude  and  the  avoidance  of  the 
very  appearance  of  evil,  and  this  with  no  uncertain 
sound.  Some  so-called  broad-minded  people  may 
advocate  throwing  down  the  bars,  at  least  lowering 
them,  on  the  ground  that  by  strictness  we  may  keep 
people  out  of  the  Church.  But  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  was  not  founded  to  see  how  many 
names  could  be  gotten  on  her  roll,  rather  that  by 
uniting  with  her  men  would  signify  to  the  world 
that  a  change  had  taken  place  in  their  lives.  And 
if  there  is  no  change,  uniting  with  all  the  churches  In 
Christendom  will  mean  nothing  to  the  hfe.  God's 
call  Is  for  the  Church  that  has  lowered  the  bars  to 


Faithfulness  Minus  Courage  107 

repent  before  her  membership  and  her  power  has 
been  destroyed.  It  is  the  call  to  lift  her  standards 
to  where  God  himself  has  placed  them,  namely,  the 
consecration  of  the  life  to  Christ  and  the  opposition 
to  all  that  which  is  sinful. 

A  number  of  years  ago  cholera  prevailed  in  Eu- 
rope and  there  was  great  concern  over  plans  for 
stamping  it  out.  For  some  time  the  nations  tried  a 
system  of  quarantine,  in  which  all  ports  and  all 
avenues  of  inlet  and  outlet  were  closed,  but  the 
plague  raged  as  furiously  as  before.  Then  they 
tried  the  method  of  bettering  the  sanitary  condi- 
tions within  their  own  boundaries,  and  they  soon  dis- 
covered that  the  dreaded  disease  was  losing  its  force, 
until  it  was  finally  brought  under  complete  control. 

The  Church  is  not  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  her 
power  and  influence  is  not  what  it  ought  to  be.  Her 
problem  is  as  to  what  method  shall  be  used  for  re- 
lieving this  condition.  Some  may  advocate  more 
care  and  caution  as  to  the  character  of  those  entering 
her  doors.  These  precautionary  measures  are  good, 
providing  the  conditions  within  the  Church  are  what 
they  should  be.  But  surely  there  is  needed  to-day  a 
bettering  of  the  conditions  within  the  Church  herself 
and  an  elevating  of  the  standards  by  which  the  pro- 
fessed followers  of  Christ  shall  govern  their  con- 


io8     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

duct.    When  this  is  done  her  weakness  will  be  wiped 
out  and  her  influence  will  be  increased. 

Take  my  heart,  O  Father!  take  it; 
Make  and  keep  it  all  Thine  own ; 
Let  Thy  Spirit  melt  and  break  it — 
This  proud  heart  of  sin  and  stone. 

Father,  make  me  pure  and  lowly. 
Fond  of  peace  and  far  from  strife; 
Turning  from  the  paths  unholy 
Of  this  vain  and  sinful  life. 

Ever  let  Thy  grace  surround  me, 
Strengthen  me  with  power  divine. 
Till  Thy  cords  of  love  have  bound  me ; 
Make  me  to  be  wholly  Thine. 

May  the  blood  of  Jesus  heal  me, 
And  my  sins  be  all  forgiven ; 
Holy  Spirit,  take  and  seal  me. 
Guide  me  in  the  path  of  heaven. 


CHAPTER  V 


''And  to  the  angel  of  the  Church  In  Thyatira 
write : 

"These  things  saith  the  Son  of  God,  who  hath 
eyes  like  a  flame  of  fire,  and  His  feet  are  like  unto 
burnished  brass ;  I  know  thy  works  and  thy  love  and 
faith  and  ministry  and  patience,  and  that  thy  last 
works  are  more  than  the  first.  But  I  have  this 
against  thee,  that  thou  sufferest  the  woman  Jezebel, 
who  calleth  herself  a  prophetess;  and  she  teachest 
and  seduceth  my  servants  to  commit  fornication,  and 
to  eat  things  sacrificed  to  idols.  And  I  gave  her 
time  that  she  should  repent;  and  she  willeth  not  to 
repent  of  her  fornication.  Behold,  I  cast  her  into 
a  bed,  and  them  that  commit  adultery  with  her  into 
great  tribulation,  except  they  repent  of  her  works. 
And  I  will  kill  her  children  with  death;  and  all  the 
churches  shall  know  that  I  am  he  that  searcheth  the 
reins  and  hearts;  and  I  will  give  unto  each  one  of 
you  according  to  your  works.  But  to  you  I  say,  to 
the  rest  that  are  in  Thyatira,  as  many  as  have  not 
this  teaching,  who  know  not  the  deep  things  of 
Satan,  as  they  are  wont  to  say;  I  cast  upon  you  none 
other  burden.  Nevertheless  that  which  ye  have, 
hold  fast  until  I  come.  .  .  .  He  that  hath  an  ear, 
let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the  churches." 

Rev.  2:  18-29. 


LIMITATIONS  IN  SERVICE 

The  message  in  this  passage  is  to  the  angel  of  the 
church  of  Thyatlra.  This  was  a  city  in  Asia  Minor, 
in  Lydia,  near  the  boundary  of  Mysia.  It  was  on 
the  road  from  Pergamum  to  Sardis.  It  had  already 
come  into  existence  and  been  known  as  Pelopia  and 
Euhippia  when  Seleucus  Nicator,  about  280  B.  C, 
colonized  it  with  Greeks,  and  gave  it  the  name  of 
Thyatira.  Its  inhabitants  were  famed  for  their 
skill  in  dyeing  purple ;  Lydia,  the  seller  of  purple  at 
PhiHppi  when  Paul  visited  there,  was  from  Thyatira. 
A  Church  may  have  been  organized  here  as  a  result 
of  her  conversion,  at  any  rate,  at  the  time  this 
letter  was  written  there  was  evidently  a  Church  of 
some  strength,  for  they  are  credited  with  doing 
work  that  only  a  thorough  organization  could  do. 

And  we  find  that  both  the  name  and  the  character- 
istics given  to  the  sender  of  the  message  have  direct 
bearing  on  the  message  itself.  In  the  other  letters 
there  is  no  name  given,  but  here  it  is  said,  "These 
things  saith  the  Son  of  God."  This  must  have  been 
called  forth  by  the  special  conditions  that  were  in 

III 


112     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

existence  at  Thyatira,  as  we  shall  see  when  we  study 
the  message.  Surely  it  would  cause  the  Christians 
in  this  city  to  listen  attentively  when  they  realized 
that  it  was  the  Son  of  God  speaking.  They  may 
have  been  inclined  to  think  of  Jesus  as  a  good  man, 
and  would  of  course  listen  to  what  He  said,  but 
here  they  are  to  listen  carefully,  for  it  is  the  Son  of 
God  speaking  to  them.  Thus  the  power  of  God  is 
back  of  the  message.  And  we  need  to  remember 
this  as  we  read  and  study  the  Bible  and  as  we  study 
this  message  that  it  is  God  speaking  with  all  His 
knowledge  and  all  His  power. 

And  you  will  also  find  that  the  characteristics  men- 
tioned are  of  special  significance,  and  we  shall  find 
that  these  too  are  directly  related  to  the  message. 
The  Son  of  God  is  spoken  of  as  One  who  hath  His 
eyes  like  to  a  flame  of  fire.  And  I  cannot  think  of 
any  better  truth  from  this  than  that  Jesus,  as  the 
Son  of  God,  has  the  power  to  penetrate  into  the 
deep  recesses  of  the  life,  even  as  the  fire  devours 
that  which  comes  in  its  pathway;  also  that  He  has 
the  power  to  separate  the  good  from  the  evil,  even 
as  the  fire  purifies,  separating  the  good  metal  from 
the  dross.  And  you  will  find  this  thought  empha- 
sized later  in  the  letter  when  Jesus  says,  "I  am  He 
that  searcheth  the  reins  and  the  hearts."  Whatever 
the  message  might  be,  it  was  due  to  the  fact  that 


Limitations  in  Service  113 

the  messenger  had  searched  out  the  hidden  things 
and  tested  the  quality  of  what  was  found.  This 
thought  we  would  do  well  to  remember  as  we  study 
God's  Word. 

Another  characteristic  was  that  the  One  who  was 
writing  to  them  had  feet  like  to  burnished  brass. 
The  brass  was  the  metal  of  which  was  made  most 
of  the  instruments  both  of  warfare  and  of  peace. 
And  when  the  Son  of  God  speaks  of  Himself  as 
having  feet  of  brass  it  must  refer  to  His  power  of 
accomplishment,  His  ability  to  do  that  which  He 
undertakes,  swift  and  sure  to  reward  and  to  punish. 
And  again,  later  in  the  letter,  you  will  find  the  same 
thought  emphasized  when  He  says,  "I  will  give  unto 
each  one  of  you  according  to  your  works."  Thus 
would  be  aroused  attention  and  concern  as  to  the 
opinion  the  Son  of  God  might  have  of  them.  Such 
attention  and  concern  should  be  aroused  in  our 
hearts  as  to  God's  opinion  of  us. 

First,  you  will  notice  that  the  Son  of  God  has 
knowledge  of  and  commendation  for  faithfulness  in 
service.  These  Christians  may  know  that  what  they 
were  able  to  do  did  not  amount  to  much,  they  were 
so  weak.  No  one  paid  much  attention  to  what  they 
tried  to  do,  no  one  seemed  to  care.  They  would 
become  discouraged  and  disheartened  and  feel  like 
giving  up  their  efforts.     To  them  comes  this  mes- 


114     ^yhat  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

sage  of  cheer.  Christ  says  that  He  has  been  watch- 
ing them,  He  knows  what  they  have  been  doing, 
He  approves  of  their  efforts.  It  ought  to  mean 
much  to  us  that  there  is  One  who  knows  and  under- 
stands just  what  we  try  to  do  and  approves  when 
we  are  faithful.  And  Christ  specifies  just  what. their 
efforts  have  been. 

He  approved  of  their  attitude  toward  their  fel- 
lowmen,  which  expressed  itself  in  deeds  of  love  and 
charity.  Many  opportunities  came  to  them  in  that 
city,  filled  with  those  who  were  followers  of  heathen 
gods,  to  show  the  spirit  that  controlled  them  In  their 
relation  to  others.  There  were  many  who  differed 
from  them,  but  they  had  shown  the  spirit  of  charity; 
there  were  many  who  were  In  need,  but  they  had 
tried  to  relieve  that  need;  there  were  many  who 
were  ignorant  and  others  who  opposed  them  and 
made  It  difficult  for  them  to  live  their  religion,  but 
they  were  always  kind  and  loving. 

What  opportunities  we  have  to  reveal  the  spirit 
that  controls  us  as  we  touch  others,  and  not  always 
is  it  the  spirit  of  love  and  charity!  Others  differ 
with  us.  Do  we  treat  their  opinions  charitably? 
Others  have  needs.  Are  we  trying  to  relieve  them? 
God  knows  our  attitude  toward  our  fellowmen  and 
approves  only  of  the  spirit  of  love,  even  as  revealed 
in  the  life  of  Christ. 


Limitations  in  Service  115 

Jesus  approved  of  their  attitude  toward  God,  for 
It  was  expressed  In  the  condition  of  faith.  They 
were  living  a  practical,  everyday  life,  with  cares  and 
responsibilities,  but  they  had  time  to  keep  alive  their 
religion.  They  encountered  many  things  that  they 
could  not  understand,  but  they  looked  up  with  faith 
Into  the  loving  heart  of  their  heavenly  Father. 
That  condition  of  heart  was  strong  enough  to  re- 
veal Itself  in  their  lives,  for  It  was  a  positive  char- 
acteristic that  must  express  itself.  God  knew  and 
approved  of  their  faith. 

What  is  the  relation  that  we  bear  towards  God? 
What  Is  the  quality  of  our  faith?  We  touch  others 
and  may  be  charitable  towards  them,  but  we  must 
also  bear  a  definite  relation  to  God,  which  should 
be  characterized  by  faith.  This  is  the  vital  quality 
of  religion,  the  very  center  of  the  Christian  life. 
But  how  often  it  is  neglected !  We  become  Interested 
In  our  daily  work,  we  are  concerned  with  our  bur- 
dens, and  we  lose  sight  of  our  religion.  We  are 
Christians,  of  course,  but  how  faint  and  vague  at 
times  this  inner  quality  of  faith  becomes,  and  how 
little  power  it  exerts  over  our  outer  lives !  But 
God  knows  the  actual  condition  and  approves  a 
faith  that  Is  alive  and  active  and  strong. 

The  Son  of  God  also  approved  of  their  service 
in  the  community  for  He  says  that  He  knows  of 


ii6    What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

their  ministry.  They  were  not  satisfied  with  just 
showing  the  spirit  of  love  as  they  touched  others 
from  day  to  day,  they  also  tried  to  minister  wherever 
there  was  opportunity,  and  there  must  have  been 
many  calls  for  such  ministry.  This  no  doubt  refers 
both  to  Christian  ministry  and  also  to  the  practical 
application  of  the  Christian  religion  In  doing  good 
to  those  who  were  In  need.  This  city  presented  to 
them  many  needs,  both  spiritual  and  temporal.  They 
did  not  lack  opportunity  to  show  the  power  of  their 
ministry,  and  they  did  their  best  to  make  good. 

What  Is  God's  opinion  of  our  ministry?  How 
much  need  there  is  for  those  who  will  be  faithful 
In  their  service !  We  come  In  contact  with  the  needs 
of  men  each  day,  many  physical,  some  mental,  others 
moral,  many  spiritual,  and  this  Is  our  opportunity 
to  minister  to  the  needs  of  others.  The  Church 
is  in  the  community,  as  the  minister,  to  serve  the 
community  and  meet  the  needs.  The  individual  is 
in  the  community  for  the  same  purpose.  We  have 
our  circle  of  friends,  we  have  our  acquaintances,  and 
they  bring  to  us  needs  that  we  can  help  supply. 
Jesus  was  among  men  as  one  that  ministered.  What 
a  privilege  that  we  are  called  to  the  same  work, 
to  be  ministers !  What  does  God  see  in  our  min- 
istry? 

God  also  commends  their  steadfastness,  for,  in 


Limitations  in  Service  117 

spite  of  discouragements,  they  had  revealed  the  qual- 
ity of  patience.  Things  did  not  turn  out  as  they 
had  planned,  either  in  the  church  work  or  in  their 
individual  lives.  They  had  not  been  able  to  make 
the  progress,  as  Christians,  that  they  had  expected. 
They  had  not  been  able  to  push  forward  the  work  of 
the  Church  as  they  had  anticipated.  But,  in  face 
of  it  all,  they  had  been  patient  and  persistent  and 
stayed  by  the  work. 

How  many  things  come  into  our  lives,  as  Chris- 
tians, that  tend  to  discourage  and  to  dishearten! 
Our  home  life  may  not  be  what  we  had  expected, 
our  daily  work  does  not  turn  out  as  we  had  planned, 
our  Christian  life  Is  not  as  happy  and  as  easy  as  we 
had  reason  to  believe  It  would  be,  our  work  in  the 
Church  is  not  as  much  appreciated  and  as  success- 
ful as  we  think  it  deserves.  How  many  people,  when 
they  meet  such  conditions,  are  tempted  to  give  up 
and  to  lag  in  the  work !  Many  Christians  are  spas- 
modic, they  go  by  fits  and  starts,  both  in  matters 
of  Christian  living  and  in  the  work  of  the  Church. 
They  put  enthusiasm  into  their  work  so  long  as 
everything  goes  all  right,  but  when  the  obstacle  arises 
they  are  ready  to  quit,  they  lack  patience.  God  ap- 
proves of  patience,  the  spirit  that  never  gives  up. 
What  does  God  think  of  our  patience? 

But  one  of  the  strongest  points  for  commenda- 


Ii8     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

tlon  is  the  last — their  growth  in  efficiency  and  fruit- 
fulness.  At  the  beginning  Christ  speaks  of  His 
knowledge  of  their  works,  and  He  closes  this  mes- 
sage by  saying  that  He  knows  "that  thy  last  works 
are  more  than  the  first."  What  a  joy  these  words 
must  have  brought  to  these  Christians  when  they 
realized  that  the  One  whom  they  served  approved 
of  the  progress  they  had  made !  Conditions  had 
been  against  them.  They  had  worked  hard  and  no 
doubt  many  times  were  inclined  to  be  downhearted 
because  they  could  not  see  more  signs  of  progress. 
There  was  much  to  do  and  they  feared  that  they 
would  never  make  an  impression  on  that  city,  but 
they  were  assured  that  they  were  gradually  pushing 
ahead  in  their  work. 

God  expects  progress  in  our  Christian  lives  and 
in  our  Christian  work,  and  will  not  approve  of  stand- 
ing still.  There  is  much  to  be  done  in  our  lives, 
many  sins  to  be  overcome,  many  positive  qualities 
that  ought  to  become  a  part  of  our  characters.  How 
much  progress  has  been  made  towards  that  goal  of 
perfect  character?  There  is  much  to  be  done  by 
the  individual  and  by  the  Church  in  advancing  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  Can  it  be  said  of  us  that  our 
last  works  are  more  than  the  first?  If  so,  then 
we  too  have  the  approval  of  the  Son  of  God. 

What  a  blessing  it  was  to  these  Christians  that 


Limitations  in  Service  119 

they  were  brought  this  message,  that  the  Son  of 
God,  who  had  power  to  search  out  the  hidden  things 
and  separate  the  good  from  the  evil,  approved  of 
what  they  had  done,  and  that  He  had  power  to  re- 
ward them  for  their  faithfulness ! 

In  the  second  place,  you  will  notice  that  God  con- 
demns falseness  in  teaching  in  no  uncertain  terms. 
You  will  recall  that  in  the  letter  to  the  church  at 
Pergamum  God  condemns  the  spirit  of  compromise 
in  the  life;  but  the  condition  in  the  church  at  Per- 
gamum was  that  of  allowing  sin  in  the  life,  either 
through  ignorance  or  weakness.  Those  people  had 
given  way  to  the  temptation,  either  because  their 
natural  tendency  had  become  too  strong,  or  because 
they  had  been  deceived.  You  will  find  that  the  same 
condition  exists  here  at  Thyatira,  namely,  the  eating 
of  meat  offered  to  idols  and  the  committing  of  forni- 
cation along  with  this  idol-worship.  But  in  this  let- 
ter special  attention  is  given  to  that  which  was  back 
of  the  condition,  and  special  condemnation  is  threat- 
ened against  the  one  who  is  the  cause  of  that  con- 
dition. 

The  cities  of  Pergamum  and  Thyatira  are  not  far 
apart  and  the  influence  of  the  idol-worship  on  the 
Christians  may  have  spread  from  Thyatira  to  the 
Christians  in  Pergamum.  Responsibility,  therefore, 
for  the  whole  condition  in  both  cities  would  rest 


120    What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

on  those  who  were  Its  originators.  From  this  letter 
it  seems  that  there  was  a  woman  in  the  church  at 
Thyatira  who  had  been  the  instigator  of  this  whole 
tendency.  She  is  spoken  of  as  "the  woman  Jezebel," 
no  doubt  because  of  the  well-known  character  in 
Jewish  history  of  that  name,  who  was  the  personi- 
fication of  all  that  was  wicked.  No  more  degrading 
name  could  be  applied  to  this  woman  of  Thyatira. 
But  what  is  it  in  this  woman  that  the  Son  of  God 
condemns? 

First,  she  is  condemned  because  sailing  under 
false  colors,  for  she  called  herself  a  prophetess. 
God  has  more  use  for  the  man  or  woman  who  is 
out  and  out  for  Satan  than  the  one  who  pretends 
to  be  on  the  side  of  right  and  is  working  for  the 
opposition. 

Now  there  were  certain  things  that  were  con- 
tained in  this  pretense  which  were  vital  to  the  woman 
and  gave  power  to  what  she  said. 

A  prophetess  would  be  one  who  recognized  God 
as  supreme,  for  they  claimed  to  have  God  back  of 
them  and  to  be  instruments  in  His  hands.  This  would 
require  the  people  to  listen  to  what  they  said  and 
would  give  them  greater  power  and  influence.  Thus 
the  prophets  were  usually  men  of  prominence  and 
power  in  the  nation  and  were  recognized  as  servants 
of  God  in  a  special  way. 


Limitations  in  Service  121 

Again,  as  a  prophetess,  she  would  aim  to  speak 
only  the  message  that  God  gave.  The  prophets 
were  the  mouthpiece  of  God,  and  through  them  God 
revealed  His  will  to  the  people.  When  God  spoke 
to  them,  they  spoke  to  the  people;  when  God  told 
them  to  be  silent,  they  refrained  from  speaking,  no 
matter  what  the  provocation.  What  God  told  them 
to  say  they  were  supposed  to  reveal,  regardless  of 
the  consequences  to  themselves  or  their  hearers. 
So  this  woman,  by  claiming  to  be  a  prophetess, 
was  taking  for  herself  this  exalted  position  of  the 
special  messenger  of  God,  having  His  approval  and 
His  power  back  of  her.  Thus  she  would  speak  what 
God  wanted  the  people  to  hear  and  to  heed.  Little 
wonder  that  she  had  Influenced  the  people  to  follow 
her. 

But  the  hypocrite  has  little  consideration  at  the 
hands  of  men  and  receives  only  condemnation  at 
the  hands  of  God.  If  we  claim  a  certain  close  rela- 
tion to  God,  we  need  to  be  careful  that  we  are  mak- 
ing good  on  that  claim. 

This  woman  Is  also  condemned  because  she  had 
led  others  astray  by  the  falseness  of  her  teaching. 
There  was  unfaithfulness  In  the  lives  of  many  In 
this  church  at  Thyatira,  also  In  the  church  at  Per- 
gamum,  but  back  of  this  there  was  falseness  in  their 
doctrine.   In  that  In  which  they  believed.     Under 


122     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

claim  of  truth,  error  had  crept  into  the  Church  and 
had  led  men  and  women  into  sinful  living. 

Many  may  claim  that  it  makes  little  difference 
what  they  believe,  so  long  as  they  are  sincere;  but 
we  have  no  ground  for  saying  that  these  people 
who  followed  the  teaching  of  this  woman  were  not 
sincere,  yet  the  falseness  of  her  teaching  had  led 
them  into  corrupt  living.  And  it  will  do  the  same 
at  any  time  and  in  any  city,  as  well  as  in  Thyatira 
in  the  days  of  the  Apostle  John.  Many  people  seem 
to  think  that  they  can  believe  what  they  please  and 
will  censure  those  who  object  to  their  beliefs;  but 
the  trouble  is  that  a  person's  beliefs  will  work  them- 
selves out  in  the  lives  of  those  who  hear  and  heed. 
And  God  holds  responsible  those  who  teach  for  the 
results  in  the  lives  of  those  who  have  followed  that 
teaching.  This  ought  to  make  us  consider  care- 
fully the  beliefs  that  we  have  allowed  a  prominent 
place  in  our  minds. 

Let  us  look  at  the  special  characteristics  of  this 
woman's  teaching. 

She  broadened  the  limits  of  the  Divine,  extend- 
ing this  quality  to  the  idol,  which  was  man-made. 
Thus  she  led  her  followers  into  the  sin  of  recogniz- 
ing other  gods  than  Jehovah.  By  eating  the  meat 
offered  to  the  idol  they  had  recognized  the  idol  as 
worthy  of  worship.      Such   recognition   could   only 


Limitations  in  Service  123 

come  from  the  teaching  that  this  idol,  which  man 
had  made,  was  the  representation  of  that  which 
was  the  same  as  Jehovah.  Thus  there  would  be 
given  to  the  idol  the  place  and  the  prerogatives 
which  belonged  alone  to  God. 

This  error  has  made  its  way  into  the  modern 
Church,  where  there  has  been  an  effort  to  cut  away 
the  barrier  between  the  human  and  the  Divine,  to 
lower  God  and  elevate  man,  until  they  meet  and 
coincide.  Man  is  said  to  be  divine,  on  an  equality 
with  God,  the  same  in  quality  though  not  in  quan- 
tity. God  is  the  principle  of  life,  therefore  in  all, 
and  we  are  a  part  of  the  Divine.  Thus  is  denied  the 
Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  He  was  no  more  God 
than  we,  so  far  as  quality  is  concerned.  His  su- 
periority rested  In  the  quantity  of  the  Divine,  which 
he  possessed.  This  bears  the  ear-marks  of  Chris- 
tian Science  (so-called). 

And  what  Is  the  result?  Undoubtedly  only  one 
result  could  follow  such  a  conception  of  the  Divine, 
namely,  that  man  would  claim  for  himself  the  place, 
the  power,  and  the  prerogatives  that  belonged  to 
God  and  to  Him  alone.  Thus  has  been  driven  from 
the  minds  of  those  who  have  been  seduced  by  such 
teaching  all  thought  of  God  as  the  all-powerful 
Being  that  controls  their  lives,  for  they  are  a  part 
of  that  Being.    They  do  not  feel  the  need  of  God, 


124    What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

for  they  are  self-sufficient.  They  do  not  pray,  for 
you  cannot  pray  to  a  principle ;  and  you  being  a  part 
of  that  principle,  your  prayer  becomes  a  soliloquy, 
a  prayer  to  yourself.  And  the  higher  up  the  scale 
of  Divinity  you  go,  the  greater  power  you  possess, 
until  you  can  do  what  God  does.  This  audacity 
reached  its  highest  point  in  Mrs.  Mary  Baker-Eddy, 
who  claimed  to  be  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Comforter 
whom  God  had  promised  to  send  into  the  world. 

And  you  will  find  this  error  being  spread  broad- 
cast in  the  minds  of  men,  as  there  is  a  determined 
effort  to  destroy  a  belief  in  the  Divinity  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Many  claim  that  He  was  only  a  man, 
though  a  good  man  it  is  true,  but  from  their  view- 
point an  imposter,  for  He  claimed  to  be  the  Son  of 
God.  And  men  are  quick  to  grasp  at  this  spirit  of 
independency  and  self-sufficiency  which  gives  them 
the  right  to  the  claim  of  an  equality  with  God.  They 
are  glad  to  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  was  no  more 
than  man,  for  then  they  can  ease  the  conscience 
when  they  disregard  His  commands.  Many  do  not 
want  to  believe  in  the  Virgin  Birth  or  the  Miracles 
or  the  Resurrection,  for  then  the  message  of  Jesus 
is  God  speaking  to  them  and  they  are  forced  to 
listen. 

This  must  have  been  the  form  taken  by  the  error 
in  this  early  church,  for  emphasis  is  placed  at  the 


Limitations  in  Service  125 

beginning  on  the  fact  that  the  Son  of  God  Is  send- 
ing this  message  to  this  church.  Let  us  beware  of 
such  error  to-day,  for  it  will  lead  into  sin  and  a 
disregard  for  the  will  of  God. 

Again,  this  so-called  prophetess  taught  messages 
other  than  what  God  had  delivered  to  her,  giving 
prominence  to  man's  opinions  and  desires.  When 
the  people  ate  the  meat  offered  to  the  idol  and  took 
part  in  the  feasts  of  that  heathen  worship,  could 
any  other  teaching  have  given  rise  to  such  freedom 
than  that  they  had  the  right  to  follow  the  dictates  of 
their  own  desires  and  to  act  according  to  their  own 
ideas  in  such  matters?  This  led  the  people  into 
the  sin  of  following  their  own  Impulses  and  inclina- 
tions in  regard  to  the  idol-worship,  rather  than  the 
commands  of  God. 

God  had  told  them  plainly  what  should  be  their 
attitude  toward  the  worship  of  idols,  but  here  comes 
one  who  claims  to  be  speaking  for  God  himself,  and 
to  have  a  later  revelation  and  a  fuller  knowledge 
of  God's  will  In  such  matters.  So  they  follow  her 
teaching.  And  they  are  the  more  willing  to  listen 
because  she  teaches  just  what  they  want  to  believe. 

This  error  also  has  crept  into  the  modern  Church, 
for  men  are  being  taught  to  accept  other  ideas  and 
principles  than  those  delivered  to  them  from  God. 
As  men  have  endeavored  to  lower  the  idea  of  God 


126     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

and  to  cut  away  the  belief  In  the  divinity  of  Jesus 
Christ,  so  they  go  farther  (which  Is  a  natural  re- 
sult) and  magnify  the  opinions  of  men  until  they 
make  them  equal  or  even  superior  to  those  of  God. 
Men  have  their  own  Ideas  In  regard  to  certain  funda- 
mentals, then  they  go  to  the  Bible  for  confirma- 
tion of  their  views.  They  will  endeavor  to  make  the 
Bible  coincide  with  their  opinions,  because  this  will 
give  them  greater  power  and  prestige.  But  If  this 
is  impossible  they  will  expurgate  the  Word  of  God 
and  throw  out  that  which  does  not  agree  with  their 
way  of  thinking. 

Notice,  If  you  will,  the  modern  teaching  In  regard 
to  sin,  though  It  Is  as  old  as  heathenism  itself. 
Strange  how  anxious  men  are  to  get  away  from  the 
Bible  teaching  In  reference  to  sin !  If  any  man  wants 
to  get  a  following,  the  first  thing  he  will  do  Is  to 
put  out  a  conception  of  sin  that  differs  from  the 
Bible  teaching.  The  Bible  conception  of  sin  strikes 
home  to  each  individual  and  makes  us  all  mighty 
uncomfortable,  and  we  are  glad  to  get  rid  of  it, 
if  we  can.  So  modern  error  steps  In  to  relieve  the 
strain. 

One  conception  is  that  sin  Is  non-existent,  what- 
ever that  may  mean.  Of  course,  if  man  is  God 
and  God  Is  man,  and  God  cannot  sin,  therefore  man 
cannot  sin.     So  seeing  that  I  belong  to  that  species 


Limitations  in  Service  127 

known  as  man,  therefore  I  cannot  sin.  God  Is  the 
principle  of  life,  which  alone  exists;  therefore  sin 
does  not  exist  at  all.  And  men  for  ages  have  been 
bothering  their  heads  over  that  which  did  not  exist; 
they  only  thought  It  did. 

Could  any  conception  of  sin  be  found  that  would 
better  meet  the  desires  of  a  modern  world?  We 
do  not  like  to  think  of  sin  and  guilt;  it  disturbs  us 
so.  But  here  comes  a  modern  (so-called)  prophetess 
who  tells  us  that  we  needn't  worry  about  it  at  all, 
for  there  isn't  any  such  thing  as  sin.  How  unfor- 
tunate It  Is  that  Mrs.  Eddy  couldn't  have  lived  ages 
ago  and  saved  the  people  all  this  anxiety  over  their 
sins. 

But  what  does  the  Son  of  God  say  about  It?  He 
says  that  this  woman  Jezebel,  who  calleth  herself  a 
prophetess,  has  taught  and  seduced  my  servants  and 
led  them  into  sin.  There  is  no  truth  more  prominent 
in  the  Word  of  God,  none  more  prominent  in  the 
teachings  of  Christ,  than  that  man  is  a  sinner. 
Man's  whole  relation  to  God  Is  bound  up  in  his 
consciousness  of  his  sinful  condition.  Convince  a 
man  that  he  is  not  a  sinner,  and  he  will  turn  his 
back  on  God,  for  he  has  no  need  of  Him.  The 
whole  plan  of  salvation,  which  constitutes  God's 
revelation  to  the  world  through  His  Word,  Is  de- 
pendent on  the  existence  of  sin  in  the  world.     If 


128     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

sin  does  not  exist  there  is  no  need  of  salvation. 

Another  conception  is  that  sin  is  non-punishable. 
Some  tell  us  that  man  sins,  but  he  lives  under  such 
conditions  that  he  could  not  do  otherwise.  So  he 
is  not  responsible  for  this,  therefore  cannot  be  pun- 
ished for  it.  This  comes  to  us  in  the  idea  of  a 
second  chance  which  will  be  offered  to  men  in  the 
next  world.  This  is  held  by  some  churches,  by  which 
method  they  claim  that  all  men  will  eventually  be 
saved.  For  a  time  it  was  also  held  by  Pastor  Rus- 
sell, but  he  has  now  cast  this  aside  for  the  more 
popular  fallacy  that  conditions  are  so  against  men 
accepting  Christ  in  this  life  that  the  only  real  chance 
will  be  presented  to  them  in  the  next  world.  And 
he  caps  it  all  by  preaching  that  those  who  still 
persist  in  turning  from  God's  plan  for  them  will  be 
annihilated,  for  he  cannot  endure  the  thought  of 
eternal  punishment. 

Again,  we  would  ask.  Why  so  much  trouble  ?  Be- 
cause it  is  the  kind  of  teaching  in  which  men  re- 
joice, for  it  frees  them  from  so  much  concern  in 
regard  to  their  sins.  They  can  do  pretty  much  as 
they  please  here  and  it  will  all  be  fixed  up  in  the 
next  world.    This  is  the  message  men  want  to  hear. 

And  the  lessening  of  the  sinfulness  of  sin  is  laying 
hold  of  the  minds  and  the  hearts  of  men  in  one 
form  and  another  and  is  leading  them  to  disregard 


Limitations  in  Service  129 

the  commands  of  God  and  the  character  of  their  ac- 
tions, and  to  question  little  as  to  the  Tightness  or 
wrongness  of  their  conduct.  But  God  is  as  plain 
and  pointed  in  regard  to  the  punishment  for  sin  as 
He  is  in  regard  to  the  existence  of  sin.  There  is 
just  as  strong  teaching  in  reference  to  eternal  punish- 
ment as  there  is  in  regard  to  eternal  reward.  If 
men  accept  the  one  they  must  accept  the  other. 

Notice  also  the  modern  error  in  regard  to  salva- 
tion which  follows  as  a  result  of  the  error  in  regard 
to  sin.  The  great  factor  in  God's  revelation  to 
men  is  His  plan  of  salvation;  the  golden  thread  that 
runs  through  the  Word  of  God,  from  beginning  to 
end,  is  this  mighty  plan.  But  men  cast  it  aside  as 
worthless  because  it  does  not  suit  their  ideas  of 
how  they  would  like  the  world  to  be.  Of  course 
those  who  do  not  believe  in  the  existence  of  sin  have 
no  place  for  the  salvation  of  men,  for  there  is  noth- 
ing from  which  to  be  saved.  God  is  all  and  you 
could  not  imagine  God  or  man,  which  is  one  and 
the  same,  trying  to  save  himself.  As  sane  for  a 
man  to  endeavor  to  lift  himself  by  his  bootstraps. 
But  they  laugh  at  the  story  of  the  Atonement.  Jesus 
died  for  a  theory  and  his  death  did  not  accomplish 
anything  for  you  or  me,  because  nothing  is  to  be  ac- 
complished since  we  have  no  sin.  What  a  travesty 
on  the  greatest  event  of  all  ages — God  giving  His 


130     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

only  Son  for  the  salvation  of  a  sinful  race  I 

The  other  conception,  that  man  is  not  responsible 
because  it  is  Impossible  for  him  to  do  right,  says 
that  the  work  of  Christ  for  man  was  not  sufficient 
to  save  him.  God  says  there  is  an  opportunity  for 
man  to  be  saved  in  the  midst  of  his  sinful  surround- 
ings, for  He  will  give  him  power  over  his  sin  through 
Jesus  Christ.  Men  are  thus  led  into  the  sin  of 
scorning  Jesus  Christ  and  neglecting  his  offer  of 
salvation,  and  many  are  trusting  in  a  sentimental  idea 
of  the  mercy  of  God  to  somehow  save  them,  in  spite 
of  their  sins  and  their  rejection  of  His  plan  for  their 
salvation. 

And  as  was  true  of  this  Jezebel,  men  claim  that 
all  these  things  have  come  to  them  because  they 
have  been  able  to  go  deeper  into  the  hidden  things 
of  life.  But  God  says  that  these  are  the  deep  things 
of  Satan,  and  surely  their  fruits  prove  this  to  be 
true.  And  the  answer  to  all  these  errors  is  found 
in  the  clear  message  from  the  gospel  record,  "For 
God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  sent  His  only  be- 
gotten Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  When  men 
get  back  to  God's  Word  and  listen  to  the  message 
that  God  delivers  on  all  these  vital  subjects;  when 
they  will  take  God's  idea  of  sin  and  salvation  and 
accept  his  idea  of  Jesus  Christ,  then,  and  only  then, 


Limitations  in  Service  13 1 

will  they  be  free  from  all  the  errors  that  fill  men's 
minds. 

Let  us  learn  another  lesson  from  this  message, 
namely,  God's  punishment  for  such  falsity.  Men 
do  not  like  to  think  of  punishment,  either  for  them- 
selves or  for  their  fellowmen,  yet  we  all  recognize 
that  such  is  necessary  In  the  affairs  of  men,  and  how 
much  more  so  In  the  affairs  of  God!  And  no  truth 
is  taught  with  greater  plainness  In  the  Word  of  God 
than  that  punishment  will  be  meted  out  to  those  who 
disobey  God's  law.  So  In  this  letter,  after  speaking 
of  the  wickedness  of  this  woman  who  had  been  in- 
strumental In  producing  harm  in  the  lives  of  others, 
we  would  expect  something  to  be  said  in  regard  to 
what  God  was  going  to  do  about  It.  And  as  we  con- 
sider this  thought  let  us  remember  that  this  is  to 
teach  us  that  punishment  will  be  meted  out  to  those 
who  by  their  false  teachings  are  leading  others  into 
sin.  There  are  other  passages  in  the  Bible  dealing 
with  those  who  unwittingly  teach  that  which  is  false, 
but  here  the  passage  is  in  regard  to  those  who 
knowingly  lead  others  astray. 

The  punishment  will  be  certain.  God  says  that 
He  had  given  this  woman  time  and  opportunity  to 
repent,  but  she  would  not.  Therefore  nothing  could 
stay  His  hand.  She  knew  that  what  she  taught  was 
false  and  that  she  was  leading  people  into  sin,  but, 


132     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

seeking  her  own  selfish  interest,  she  refused  to  turn 
from  her  evil  way.  Men  and  women  are  to-day,  for 
selfish  Interests,  teaching  that  which  they  know  to 
be  false.  It  is  often  profitable  to  them,  though 
harmful  to  others.  God  gives  them  the  opportunity 
to  repent,  but  if  they  do  not  His  punishment  is 
sure.  How  often  men  are  backward  about  repent- 
ing for  the  wrong  that  they  are  doing,  even  though 
it  is  leading  others  into  sin,  but  some  day  we  must 
suffer  the  consequences. 

The  punishment  will  be  complete,  for  we  find  that 
not  only  was  the  woman  to  be  disgraced  and  de- 
stroyed, but  those  associated  with  her  in  her  sinful 
life,  even  those  led  astray  by  her  false  teaching, 
will  likewise  be  punished.  The  truth  was  being 
taught  and  lived  by  God's  faithful  people  In  Thya- 
tira.  All  could  have  followed  this  course,  but  some 
chose  rather  this  sinful  woman  as  their  guide,  be- 
cause the  sinful  tendencies  of  their  hearts  ruled 
them.    So  they  must  suffer  the  punishment  with  her. 

Those  who  teach  and  live  error  and  thus  are  lead- 
ing others  in  sinful  practices,  both  those  who  lead 
and  those  who  follow,  will  be  destroyed  together. 
What  use  to  destroy  the  one  if  the  other  remains 
to  further  promulgate  the  falsehood  and  the  sin? 
And  the  man  who  follows  false  teachings  is  guilty, 
because  his  course  is  due  to  the  sinful  promptings 


Limitations  in  Service  133 

of  his  own  heart,  and  he  could  follow  the  truth  If 
he  wished.  He  is  responsible  for  his  course  and 
will  be  punished  for  his  sin. 

The  punishment  is  necessary,  because  this  alone 
proves  God's  justice.  Many  object  to  punishment, 
for  they  say  God  would  not  then  be  just.  But  all 
have  been  given  the  opportunity  to  repent  and  have 
chosen  to  refuse  God's  offer.  And  God  would  not 
be  just  did  He  not  punish  the  wicked.  More  than 
that,  it  is  through  the  punishment  of  the  wicked  that 
man  has  the  assurance  of  reward  for  right  doing. 
For  the  Son  of  God  says  that  a  result  of  the  punish- 
ment meted  out  upon  this  woman  will  be  that  ''the 
churches  shall  know  that  I  am  he  that  searcheth 
the  reins  and  hearts;  and  I  will  give  unto  each  one 
of  you  according  to  your  works." 

Anne  of  Austria  once  said  to  Richelieu:  ''Cardi- 
nal, God  does  not  always  pay  his  wages  at  the  end 
of  the  week,  but  finally  all  his  accounts  will  bal- 
ance." Let  us  take  this  thought  home  to  ourselves. 
If  we  are  living  a  life  of  falsehood  and  sin,  God 
will  surely  punish  for  that  wrong-doing;  but  if  we 
are  living  a  life  of  truth  and  faithfulness,  just  as 
surely  will  God  reward  that  right-doing. 

And  the  sender  of  the  message  leaves  the  Church 
a  parting  injunction  that  should  be  linked  with  that 
which  is  at  the  beginning.     And  in  this  will  we  find 


134     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

a  special  message  for  the  Churches  to-day. 

God  disapproves  of  leniency  In  dealing  with  those 
who  by  their  lives  and  words  are  leading  others 
astray.  He  tells  this  church  that  He  has  this  against 
them,  that  they  suffered  this  woman  to  continue  her 
teaching.  Evidently  they  had  thought  It  was  not 
their  concern  and  had  considered  that  they  had  done 
their  duty  If  they  rendered  faithful  service.  So  they 
had  limited  the  extent  of  their  service  and  had  al- 
lowed this  work  of  Satan  to  go  on  right  In  their 
midst.  Is  there  not  a  call  In  this  for  the  Church 
to  be  out  and  out  against  the  Ideas  and  opinions 
that  are  being  sown  broadcast  Into  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  men  which  are  contrary  to  the  teachings 
of  the  Word  of  God,  and  which  are  resulting  in 
the  ruin  of  the  lives  of  men? 

[Again,  though  God  does  disapprove  of  this  weak 
tendency,  yet  He  does  not  punish  them  for  It  if  they 
have  not  themselves  been  led  astray,  and  providing 
they  will  remain  steadfast  and  hold  to  the  truth. 
His  last  word  to  the  church  at  Thyatira  and  to  us 
to-day  Is  this,  "That  which  ye  have,  hold  fast  till 
I  come."  And  the  need  that  is  pressing  the  Church 
to-day  is  that  of  steadfastness.  When  men  and 
women  are  hustling  and  bustling  after  every  new 
idea  that  may  spring  up  and  churches  are  seeking  to 
be  modern,  even  to  the  sacrificing  of  that  which  Is 


Limitations  in  Service  135 

essential  and  true;  when  the  greatest  aim  is  to  be 
up-to-date  and  the  greatest  fear  is  to  be  an  old  fogy, 
there  is  need  that  men  and  women  and  churches 
shall  stand  fast  and  hold  that  which  they  have, 
even  until  the  end,  when  Christ  shall  come. 

One  of  the  modern  means  of  detecting  crime  is 
through  the  thumb-print  system.  A  man  who  com- 
mits a  crime  seldom  gets  away  without  leaving  the 
imprint  of  finger  or  thumb,  which  may  be  photo- 
graphed and  kept  for  evidence.  If  the  criminal  is 
an  old  offender  his  identity  may  be  traced  from 
previous  photographs  taken.  So  each  one  of  us  is 
leaving  on  the  life  about  us  the  imprint  that  tells  the 
story  of  the  truthfulness  or  the  falsity  of  our  be- 
liefs and  actions.  Those  faithful  Christians  were 
known  by  what  they  did,  by  the  result  of  their  lives 
on  the  world  about  them.  So  also  this  woman  who 
claimed  to  be  a  prophetess  was  known  by  the  result 
of  her  teaching  and  her  life  on  Her  world.  Even 
so  our  faithfulness  or  our  falsity  will  be  detected 
by  the  results  being  produced  on  the  world,  of  which 
we  are  a  part. 

Soldiers  of  Christ,  arise, 

And  put  your  armor  on; 
Strong  in  the  strength  which  God  supplies, 

Through  His  eternal  Son. 


136     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

Strong  In  the  Lord  of  hosts, 

And  in  His  mighty  pow'r, 
Who  in  the  strength  of  Jesus  trusts, 

Is  more  than  conqueror. 

Stand  then  In  His  great  might, 
With  all  His  strength  endued. 

And  take,  to  arm  you  for  the  fight, 
The  panoply  of  God. 

That,  having  all  things  done. 
And  all  your  conflicts  past. 

Ye  may  o'ercome  through  Christ  alone, 
And  stand  entire  at  last. 


CHAPTER  VI 


"And  to  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Sardis  write: 
*'These  things  saith  he  that  hath  the  seven  Spirits 
of  God,  and  the  seven  stars:  I  know  thy  works, 
that  thou  hast  a  name  that  thou  livest,  and  thou  art 
dead.  Be  thou  watchful  and  establish  the  things 
that  remain,  which  were  ready  to  die :  for  I  have 
found  no  works  of  thine  perfected  before  my  God. 
Remember  therefore  how  thou  didst  receive  and 
didst  hear;  and  keep  it,  and  repent.  If  therefore 
thou  shalt  not  watch,  I  will  come  as  a  thief,  and  thou 
shalt  not  know  what  hour  I  will  come  upon  thee. 
But  thou  hast  a  few  names  in  Sardis  that  did  not 
defile  their  garments:  and  they  shall  walk  with  me 
in  white;  for  they  are  worthy.  He  that  overcometh 
shall  thus  be  arrayed  in  white  garments:  and  I  will 
in  no  wise  blot  his  name  out  of  the  book  of  life,  and 
I  will  confess  his  name  before  my  Father,  and  before 
his  angels.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what 
the  Spirit  saith  to  the  churches." 

Revelation  3 :  1-6. 


ALIVE  IN  NAME  ONLY 

Sardis  was  first  a  city  of  the  Maeonians  and  then 
became  the  capital  of  Lydla.  It  was  situated  at  the 
foot  of  Mt.  Tmolus,  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Pac- 
tolus,  a  tributary  of  the  Hermus.  Most  of  the  city 
was  on  a  swampy  plain,  but  the  citadel  was  on  a 
hill,  flanked  on  one  side  by  a  precipice.  It  was 
the  capital  of  the  Lydlan  empire,  a  very  fertile  re- 
gion. It  was  noted  for  Its  commercial  prosperity, 
was  an  important  center  of  trade,  and  was  looked 
upon  as  a  ruling  city.  In  546  B.  C.  it  was  captured  by 
Cyrus  the  Great  and  afterwards  became  the  seat  of  a 
Persian  satrap.  The  burning  of  Sardis  by  the  Athe- 
nians in  499  B.  C.  brought  on  the  Persian  invasion  of 
Greece  In  the  reigns  of  Darius  and  Xerxes.  In  334 
B.  C.  the  city  surrendered  to  Alexander  the  Great 
after  his  victory  at  the  Granlcus.  In  2 14  B.  C.  it  was 
taken  by  Antiochus  the  Great,  but  he  lost  it  again 
after  being  defeated  by  the  Romans  In  190  B.  C.  at 
the  battle  of  Magnesia.  They  annexed  it  for  a  time 
to  the  kingdom  of  Pergamos,  but  the  Roman  prov- 
ince of  Asia  was  constituted  In  129  B.  C,  and  Sardis 

139 


140     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

fell  within  Its  limits. 

Wool-dyeing  was  invented  here  and  the  city  be- 
came famous  for  the  manufacture  of  rugs  and  car- 
pets, the  raw  material  for  which  was  furnished  by 
the  vast  flocks  of  Phrygia.  The  golden-laden  sands 
of  the  river  Pactolus  which  flowed  through  the  city, 
the  deposit  of  the  mysterious  metal  called  electrum, 
together  with  the  minting  of  gold  and  silver  coin, 
which  was  first  accomplished  here,  made  this  city 
famous  for  its  wealth.  In  Sardis  ruled  Croesus, 
the  richest  of  kings.  Here  Solon,  the  wisest  of  men, 
visited  and  prophesied  ruin  for  the  city,  because  he 
mistrusted  material  wealth. 

Sardis  to-day  is  only  a  miserable  hamlet,  consist- 
ing of  a  few  houses.  But  there  are  remains  of  a 
magnificent  temple,  coming  down,  it  is  believed,  from 
the  Lydian  period,  together  with  the  ruins  of  a 
course  for  foot-racing,  a  theater,  and  Christian 
churches.  The  citadel  is  of  sandstone,  partly  rent 
asunder,  as  if  by  one  of  the  earthquakes  which  have 
frequently  visited  that  region.  To  the  angel  of  the 
Christian  Church  in  this  noted  city  comes  the  mes- 
sage that  forms  the  basis  for  this  chapter. 

Let  us  notice  here  again  the  special  characteristics 
of  the  one  sending  the  message,  for  you  will  find 
that  these  have  a  direct  bearing  on  the  message  It- 
self.    "These  things  saith  he  that  hath  the  seven 


Alive  in  Name  Only  141 

Spirits  of  God  and  the  seven  stars/'  When  you 
study  the  references  to  the  spirit  of  God  you  will  find 
that  in  the  relation  to  the  Church  the  Spirit  is  the 
Giver  of  Life.  When  the  numeral  "seven"  is  used 
it  is  to  denote  completeness.  So  the  special  char- 
acteristic here  referred  to  would  be  that  the  One 
sending  this  message  was  He  who  had  the  power  to 
give  life  in  its  fullness  to  those  to  whom  he  is 
writing. 

Another  characteristic  is  spoken  of  In  the  state- 
ment that  He  who  speaks  holds  in  His  hand  the 
"seven  stars."  These  stars  refer  to  the  angels  of 
the  seven  churches  to  whom  these  messages  are  be- 
ing sent.  These  angels  undoubtedly  refer  to  the 
leaders  or  bishops  in  these  different  churches  of  Asia 
Minor.  So  the  message  Is  that  Christ,  who  is  speak- 
ing to  them,  has  the  power  to  fill  their  leaders  with 
the  true  Spirit  of  life.  We  will  see  that  this  was  of 
special  Importance. 

When  we  study  the  message  itself  we  find  that  It 
differs  considerably  from  the  others  which  we  have 
studied.  While  they  opened  with  a  word  of  com- 
mendation, and  mentioned  the  good  qualities  before 
the  weaknesses,  In  this  letter  there  is  only  rebuke 
and  warning.  But  there  are  some  thoughts  for  us 
as  Individuals  and  as  churches. 

The  first  thought  we  would  like  to  discuss  is  as 


142     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

to  what  gives  a  reputation  for  possessing  life.  You 
will  notice  from  the  letter  that  this  church  in  Sardis 
had  the  name  of  being  alive.  Reputation,  of  course, 
is  what  the  outside  thinks  of  you,  and  in  some  way 
the  outside  had  formed  an  opinion  of  this  church 
that  it  was  alive.  Reputation  is  a  good  thing  to 
have  and  to  cling  to,  but  it  is  not  the  all-important 
matter  in  life,  because  the  grounds  on  which  it  is 
obtained  are  not  vital.  Nations  are  anxious  to  have 
a  great  name;  communities  and  cities  and  towns  are 
concerned  as  to  their  reputation;  churches  are  also 
falling  in  line  and  searching  for  a  good  name  and 
a  great  reputation;  and  individuals  are  often  satis- 
fied if  they  are  thought  well  of  by  their  fellowmen. 
Such  a  possession,  rather  dependence  on  such  a  pos- 
session, is  insecure,  because  the  ground  on  which 
it  is  founded  is  not  fundamental. 

The  city  of  Sardis  had  a  world-wide  reputation 
for  her  beauty  and  her  grandeur  and  her  wealth. 
For  years  she  had  been  the  great  center  of  the  com- 
mercial activities  and  the  ruling  city  of  that  region; 
she  had  a  great  name.  And  this  church  had  caught 
the  general  trend;  she  had  been  judged  by  the  repu- 
tation of  the  city  to  a  great  extent  and  therefore  had 
a  name  for  being  alive  and  up-to-date.  Great  wealth 
marked  prosperity,  hustling  business,  all  these  things 
would  naturally  contribute  to  the  life  of  the  church, 


Alive  in  Name  Only  143 

for  the  conditions  in  the  town  do  affect  the  condi- 
tions in  the  Church,  the  one  partaking  of  the  other. 
So  they  had  been  known,  afar  and  wide,  as  a  church 
that  was  ahve  and  active.  But  there  must  have  been 
some  good  reason  for  this  name  which  had  been 
given  to  them.  What  were  the  grounds  for  their 
reputation? 

First,  they  were  judged  by  past  record,  which 
was  great  and  glorious.  As  you  travel  over  the 
country  you  will  find  cities  and  towns  that  have  been 
given  certain  names  signifying  certain  characteris- 
tics. There  may  have  been  a  time  when  such  was 
true,  but  to-day  you  find  no  trace  of  those  character- 
istics. Thus  we  have  Bloomdale  or  Bloomfield  with- 
out a  blooming  flower;  we  have  a  Fairgrove  with 
all  the  groves  cut  down;  or  we  have  a  Rosewood, 
and  not  a  rose  to  be  seen.  Now  these  places  still 
bear  the  same  name,  but  they  are  depending  for  their 
name  on  past  conditions. 

Sardis  had  been  a  wonderful  city,  holding  a  posi- 
tion of  power  and  influence,  because  of  her  wealth 
and  prosperity.  But  at  the  time  this  letter  was  writ- 
ten she  was  still  holding  to  that  name  but  not  show- 
ing the  characteristics  that  had  given  her  the  name. 
She  had  been  first  but  was  now  third-rate,  for  she 
had  been  outstripped  by  the  younger  cities  of 
Ephesus  and  Smyrna.     Still  she  was  clinging  to  that 


144    JVhat  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

past  and  maintaining  the  name  that  she  was  alive. 

You  will  find  the  same  to  be  true  of  many  modern 
cities,  that  at  some  past  time  they  were  prosperous 
and  wealthy  and  growing,  being  the  product  of  a 
boom,  and  were  known  far  and  wide  for  their  life 
and  activity.  But  to-day  the  most  populous  portion 
of  the  city  will  be  the  cemetery.  Still  they  cling 
to  the  reputation,  built  on  a  noted  past. 

And  the  church  at  Sardis  had  also  partaken  of 
this  same  quality.  Once  they  had  been  prosperous 
and  active  and  alive,  so  that  they  were  famous  for 
what  they  were  doing  along  the  line  of  Christian 
work.  And  they  were  still  clinging  to  that  name, 
even  though  they  had  completely  passed  from  the 
conditions  that  gave  rise  to  It.  They  were  not  so 
much  concerned  for  what  the  conditions  were,  for 
they  could  point  to  what  they  had  been  and  had 
done,  and  still  demanded  recognition  for  that  past. 
They  held  to  the  name  that  they  were  alive,  though 
they  had  long  given  up  the  qualities  of  real  life 
and  influence. 

And  how  many  people  are  living  to-day  on  the 
honors  won  in  the  days  that  are  past  and  gone? 
Once  they  had  the  name  of  being  strong  and  they 
insist  on  that  name  to-day  and  will  recount  all  their 
wonderful  deeds.  Once  they  were  prosperous  and, 
though  these  former  conditions  may  have  long  since 


Alive  in  Name  Only  145 

passed,  they  still  seek  to  hold  the  same  position  of 
influence  as  when  this  was  true.  Once  they  were 
strong  Christians  and  active  in  church  work,  and, 
though  this  condition  may  not  exist  to-day,  they  still 
hold  to  the  name.  So  churches  are  inclined  to 
make  much  of  the  victories  of  the  past  and  the  suc- 
cesses that  have  been  theirs  In  days  gone  by.  Once 
they  had  the  name  of  being  powerful  for  good  In 
the  community,  and,  though  their  Influence  may  now 
be  next  to  nothing,  yet  they  still  claim  the  name,  and 
excuse  present  failure  because  of  past  success.  They 
have  the  name  to  be  alive,  but  are  dead. 

Again,  reputation  may  be  the  result  of  present 
external  show  that  Is  supposed  to  be  the  outcome 
of  a  true  inner  life.  In  the  time  of  her  greatness 
the  city  of  Sardis  had  no  doubt  endeavored  to  put 
on  a  great  deal  of  external  demonstration,  that  the 
visitor  might  be  Impressed  with  her  Importance  and 
proclaim  her  to  be  a  wonderful  city.  But  this  judg- 
ment would  be  wholly  from  the  outside  when  the 
real  fundamental  principles  of  civic  life  did  not 
exist.  They  had  a  name  to  be  alive  but  the  people 
had  been  fooled. 

And  you  will  find  cities,  modern  cities,  that  en- 
deavor by  outward  show  and  pomp  to  make  the 
world  believe  that  they  are  the  possessors  of  real 
civic  life  when  there  is  the  absence  of  those  things 


146     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

that  make  a  truly  live  city.  No  less  true  is  It  that 
individuals  are  trying  to  fool  the  public  and  obtain 
for  themselves  a  name  for  being  beyond  the  ordinary 
by  emphasizing  the  external  conditions.  And  often 
the  outsider  Is  deceived  completely  because  judg- 
ing from  what  he  has  seen  on  the  outside — a  name 
to  be  alive  but  dead. 

So  no  doubt  this  church  made  a  good  impression 
on  the  visitor.  The  work  seemed  to  be  running 
smoothly;  they  had  a  good  church  and  a  strong 
organization;  the  external  conditions  seemed  to  be 
faultless.  People  looked  at  Thyatira  and  saw  the 
church  torn  asunder  by  false  doctrines  and  heresies 
that  had  crept  into  the  church  life,  and  they  lamented 
the  fact.  They  looked  at  the  church  In  Pergamum 
and  they  found  much  immorality  in  the  church  itself, 
and  they  were  disgusted  with  the  conditions.  They 
looked  at  the  church  in  Smyrna  and  saw  the  people 
were  being  ill-treated  and  persecuted,  and  they  were 
terrified.  What  a  great  example  was  this  church 
at  Sardls,  in  which  no  such  conditions  existed!  Surely 
it  was  an  ideal  church. 

Many  individuals  to-day  are  getting  their  reputa- 
tions from  the  outer  conditions  of  their  lives.  Their 
names  will  be  found  on  the  roll  of  some  church, 
they  live  good  moral  lives,  they  are  active  in  the 
different  charitable  movements   of  the  town,   they 


Alive  in  Name  Only  147 

are  prominent  In  the  different  organizations  of  the 
church.  Surely  they  have  then  the  reputation  of 
being  alive  and  active. 

True  also  is  it  that  many  churches  are  getting 
their  reputation  from  the  external  conditions  that 
Impress  the  outsider.  They  have  a  good  building, 
fine  service,  good  congregations,  apparent  unity  In 
the  church  organization;  they  are  strong  In  member- 
ship and  in  influence  in  the  community.  The  public 
observes  all  this  and  says,  'What  a  grand  Church." 
They  have  the  name  of  being  alive. 

Now  these  things  are  not  at  all  wrong.  There  is 
nothing  wrong  in  having  a  good  reputation  and  in 
being  thought  to  be  alive.  There  is  nothing  wrong 
In  having  a  fine  past  on  which  to  build  the  present. 
There  is  nothing  wrong  in  a  good  strong  external 
showing  In  our  lives  and  in  the  Church.  But  the 
wrong  arises  when  men  become  satisfied  with  that 
reputation,  which  at  best  Is  Insecure  and  uncertain. 
Men  may  not  ask  more  of  us  than  this;  they  may  be 
satisfied  with  appearances,  but  God  demands  more 
than  a  good  name.  He  demands  the  character  back 
of  the  reputation.  His  criticism  of  this  Church  was 
that  she  was  playing  the  hypocrite,  for,  though  she 
pretended  to  be  alive,  yet  she  was  dead.  She  may 
have  had  a  wonderful  past,  but  that  condition  did 
not  exist  at  the  time  of  the  writing  of  this  message. 


148     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

She  may  have  been  making  a  great  showing  before 
the  world,  but  there  was  not  that  Internal  condition 
that  denoted  true  life.  She  had  the  name  to  be 
alive  but  was  dead. 

We  will  find  that  practically  all  Christian  names 
given  to  children  have  a  particular  meaning  and 
refer  to  some  special  characteristic  that  is  supposed 
to  be  revealed  by  the  one  bearing  the  name.  But 
how  few  live  up  to  their  names!  Thus  Arthur 
means  a  strong  man;  David,  well-beloved;  Henry, 
a  rich  lord;  John,  the  grace  of  the  Lord;  Patrick, 
a  nobleman;  Robert,  famous  in  counsel;  Walter,  a 
conqueror.  But  how  many  men  and  boys  with  these 
names  are  not  living  up  to  them!  So  also  Alice 
means  noble;  Beatrice,  making  happy;  Helen,  al- 
luring; Mary,  bitter;  Sarah,  a  princess.  But  how 
many  women  and  girls  are  failing  to  make  good  on 
their  names?  We  have  a  name  to  be  one  thing  and 
are  another.  So  our  concern  should  be  as  to  that 
which  lies  back  of  our  reputation,  both  as  indi- 
viduals and  as  churches,  not  so  much  as  to  what 
men  may  think  of  us,  but  what  is  God's  judgment. 
God  demands  true  life.     Does  He  find  it  in  us? 

But  what  constitutes  true  life?  If  true  life  is 
expected  of  us  let  us  be  sure  that  we  know  what  It 
means.  God  demands  and  expects  certain  qualities 
to  be  found  in  us,  and  true  life  only  exists  when 


Alive  in  Name  Only  149 

these  qualities  are  present.  There  are  certain  stand- 
ards for  work,  and  our  work-a-day  life  will  be  in- 
complete and  false  if  these  standards  are  not  to  be 
found  In  our  work.  God's  Ideals  and  God's  stand- 
ards make  true  life,  and  the  life  of  the  Individual 
or  of  the  Church  is  false  and  incomplete  unless  these 
ideals  and  standards  are  present. 

This  church  at  Sardis  was  considered  by  the  world 
to  be  alive  because  of  the  presence  of  certain  things, 
but  God  went  beneath  this  surface  and  judged  the 
church  to  be  dead  because  of  the  absence  of  cer- 
tain things  that  denote  true  life.  Though  she  had 
the  superficial,  she  lacked  the  fundamental  things 
of  life.  True  life,  in  individual  and  in  Church,  will 
be  signified  by  the  presence  of  certain  principles  that 
are  made  prominent  in  God's  purpose  in  calling  men 
into  the  Christian  life  and  in  founding  the  Christian 
Church.  So  you  will  find  that  the  presence  of  cer- 
tain tendencies  will  depict  the  possession  of  true 
life,  and,  if  these  are  not  present,  no  matter  what 
may  be  our  reputation,  we  will,  according  to  God's 
judgment,  be  dead. 

And  the  first  of  these  would  be  a  deep  religious 
spirit  pervading  the  life.  There  are  many  things 
that  are  being  given  a  prominent  place  in  our  lives 
to-day,  such  as  physical  development,  Intellectual  at- 
tainments, social  success,  business  ability,  ease  and 


150     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

pleasure,  while  too  often  men  will  overlook,  and 
almost  entirely  forget,  that  which  is  back  and  above 
all  true  living,  even  a  man's  religion.  We  make 
prominent  the  fact  that  we  have  no  bad  habits,  that 
we  are  kind  and  considerate  with  others,  but  how 
many  are  failing  to  emphasize  their  relation  to  God 
or  to  be  concerned  about  their  spiritual  development? 
In  the  Church  too  often  we  find  the  same  to  be  true. 
We  are  much  concerned  over  the  material  progress 
that  the  Church  makes,  over  having  a  good  build- 
ing in  which  to  worship,  over  the  perfecting  of  the 
organization,  and  over  increasing  the  church  mem- 
bership. All  of  this  is  important  and  ought  not  to 
be  neglected.  But  is  there  not  danger  that  we  shall 
forget  that  which  is  of  vastly  more  importance  and 
which  makes  for  real  life,  even  the  spiritual  life  of 
the  Church?  Too  often,  in  the  manifold  interests 
of  the  Church,  she  developes  into  merely  an  organi- 
zation and  forgets  to  be  religious  and  deeply  spir- 
itual.    But  this  God  demands. 

And  you  will  find  that  this  religious  spirit  will 
reveal  itself  in  the  prayer  life  of  the  individual, 
which  is  too  largely  neglected  because  of  other  in- 
terests; in  the  interest  taken  in  God's  Word,  which 
is  too  often  a  closed  Book;  in  the  interest  taken  in 
the  prayer  life  of  the  Church,  and  in  the  things  that 
pertain  to  the  upbuilding  of  God's  Kingdom  in  the 


Alive  in  Name  Only  151 

hearts  of  men.  Have  we  not  allowed  other  things 
to  crowd  out  our  interest  In  these  things  and  made 
necessary  God's  conclusion  that,  though  we  may  have 
the  name  of  being  alive,  yet  in  reality  we  are  dead? 

Again,  true  life  will  be  revealed  by  the  presence 
of  an  active  evangelistic  spirit.  When  men  think 
of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  sometimes  they  for- 
get the  true  meaning,  but  we  find  that  it  is  the  "Good 
News,"  the  "Glad  Tidings,"  sent  into  the  world. 
And  evangelism  means  the  bringing  of  these  "Glad 
Tidings"  to  those  who  do  not  realize  that  they  are 
"Good  News."  This  spirit  of  telling  others  about 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  very  center  and  soul  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  both  for  the  Church  and  for  the  Indi- 
vidual. But  how  strong  is  the  tendency  to  over- 
estimate the  other  things  that  pertain  to  our  rehgion 
— the  fact  that  we  have  ourselves  heard  the  mes- 
sage and  that  we  are  trying  to  follow  Jesus  Christ — 
and  to  neglect  almost  entirely  the  fact  that  we  are 
called  to  tell  the  same  message  to  others !  And  the 
reason  why  God  Is  looking  for  this  spirit  of  evan- 
gelism in  each  heart  and  life  is  that  this  is  the  great 
purpose  for  which  He  has  called  us  to  himself.  It 
is  that  we  may  have  the  great  blessing  of  that  rela- 
tionship, it  Is  true,  but  also  that  we  might  bring  the 
same  blessing  into  the  lives  of  our  fellowmen. 

If  then  this  is  the  purpose  of  our  calling,  namely, 


152     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

to  become  fishers  of  men,  surely  there  cannot  be  true 
life  unless  this  quality  is  present.  If  we  fully  ap- 
preciated the  "Glad  Tidings"  we  would  be  com- 
pelled to  tell  the  message.  Therefore  our  apprecia- 
tion of  God's  gift  is  to  be  seen  in  our  efforts  to 
lead  others  to  recognize  It. 

Also  is  it  true  that  God  is  looking  for  the  same 
spirit  in  the  Church  and  demanding  that  it  shall  be 
there  or  else  be  judged  to  be  a  dead  church.  When 
God  founded  the  Christian  Church  it  was  for  the 
purpose  of  spreading  the  Gospel  of  the  Christ,  to 
make  disciples,  to  teach  men  about  Jesus  Christ. 
And  God  Is  demanding  that  the  Church  shall  carry 
out  this  purpose.  We  are  much  concerned  in  regard 
to  the  work  in  all  the  different  departments  of  the 
church  work,  but  there  Is  one  purpose  only  that 
must  be  back  of  every  organization  In  the  Church, 
that  is,  to  bring  men  and  women  to  Jesus  Christ. 
If  this  purpose  Is  not  present,  then  those  organiza- 
tions are  dead  and  might  as  well  be  disbanded,  for 
they  have  lost  their  usefulness. 

There  Is  no  other  reason  for  the  existence  of  the 
Church  than  that  she  shall  be  evangelistic.  Organi- 
zations are  good,  but  only  as  they  are  the  Instru- 
ments through  which  the  evangelistic  spirit  can  work. 
The  majority  of  Christians  are  Interested  In  evan- 
gelism about  once  a  year  and  seem  to  think  that  is 


Alive  in  Name  Only  153 

enough.  But  when  the  spirit  of  evangelism  Is  a 
present  factor  In  the  Church  she  will  be  going  out, 
even  as  the  Individual,  and  reaching  those  that  are 
out  of  Christ  and  leading  them  to  Him.  Nothing 
else  win  meet  God's  demands  for  a  live  Church. 

But  to  be  alive  In  truth  as  well  as  In  name  there 
must  be  a  positive  missionary  spirit.  There  are 
some  people  who  say  they  are  Interested  in  evan- 
gelism but  not  in  missions.  Then  they  do  not  under- 
stand evangelism,  for  the  missionary  spirit  is  the 
evangelistic  spirit  carried  to  completion.  Some  say 
they  are  Christians,  but  not  interested  in  missions. 
Then  they  do  not  know  what  the  gospel  message 
and  the  gospel  plan  really  means,  and  they  have  not 
yet  caught  even  a  glimpse  of  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
Christ.  For  He  was  above  everything  else  mis- 
sionary, and  He  gave  as  the  greatest  of  all  com- 
mands that  His  followers  should  be  missionary  in 
spirit. 

You  will  find  many  churches,  as  well  as  indi- 
viduals, that  become  so  interested  in  local  church 
work  and  in  getting  all  they  can  out  of  their  reli- 
gion right  at  home  that  they  never  so  much  as 
consider  the  outside  call.  Men  often  seem  to  think 
that  the  Gospel  is  a  selfish  religion,  only  for  them- 
selves. We  say  that  we  have  all  we  can  look  after 
at  home,  we  are  not  interested  in  missions,  because 


154     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

they  do  not  touch  us  and  we  are  not  helped  by  them. 
But  In  this  we  have  curtailed  and  limited  the  boun- 
daries of  the  gospel  plan.  Christ  said,  "Go  Into 
all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  crea- 
ture," and  we  have  no  right  to  set  any  other  stand- 
ard for  our  labors.  There  Is  absolutely  no  limit 
to  the  work  before  the  Church,  but  the  limit  of  the 
world  brought  to  Christ. 

And  It  will  be  found  true  that  the  Church  that  is 
interested  in  the  missionary  enterprise  is^  accom- 
plishing things  at  home  as  well.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  a  church  or  an  organization  in  the  church  loses 
the  missionary  vision  It  loses  Its  interest  In  evan- 
gelism, and  it  weakens  and  neglects  the  spiritual  side 
of  the  individual  and  the  church. 

God  demand  this  as  a  sign  of  true  life  in  us  to- 
day, and  nothing  else  will  meet  His  demands.  And 
real  life  will  only  take  hold  of  the  Church  when 
there  Is  being  developed  this  three-fold  spirit.  When 
we  become  religious,  we  become  evangelistic;  when 
we  become  evangelistic,  we  become  missionary;  and 
when  we  become  missionary,  we  have  real  life  and 
life-giving  power. 

But  according  to  this  letter  to  the  church  in  Sardis 
we  would  conclude  that  It  Is  possible  to  have  the 
name  of  being  alive  and  still  be  dead.  Though  this 
church  possessed  those  conditions  that  gave  her  the 


Alive  in  Name  Only  155 

reputation  of  being  an  active,  up-to-date  church, 
yet  she  did  not  possess  those  other  vital  principles 
that  are  the  evidence  of  real  life.  She  was  one  thing 
in  name  and  another  In  character. 

So  we  need  to  be  concerned  as  to  what  God's 
judgment  of  us  may  be.  Though  we  may  possess 
those  conditions  that  give  us  the  name  of  being  a  live 
Christian  and  a  live  church,  have  we  those  qualities 
that  lead  God  to  say  that  we  are  ahve  in  character 
as  well  as  In  reputation? 

What  were  the  conditions  In  Sardis  that  made  this 
statement  true? 

The  work  which  they  had  undertaken  was  un- 
completed because  of  slackness  and  the  tendency  to 
take  things  easy,  for  Christ  says,  "I  have  found  no 
works  of  thine  perfected  before  my  God."  Trust- 
ing in  their  reputation,  relying  on  the  fine  record 
they  had  made  In  the  past,  and  on  the  present  pros- 
perous conditions  in  the  church,  they  had  allowed 
the  great  purposes  of  the  church  to  lag  and  go  un- 
finished. They  felt  the  call  to  do  more  active  work 
in  teaching  the  people  of  Sardis  about  the  Christ 
and  in  bringing  these  people  to  acknowledge  Him 
as  their  Lord  and  Saviour.  But  this  would  require 
a  great  deal  of  labor  and  effort,  so  they  left  it  half 
completed. 

They  no  doubt  saw  the  great  opportunity  before 


156     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

their  church,  through  their  wealth  and  their  influ- 
ence, to  touch  the  outside  world;  for  the  message, 
coming  from  Sardis,  would  mean  much  to  the  other 
cities  and  communities  of  Asia  Minor  and  the  world 
at  large.  But  this  would  mean  energy  and  money 
spent,  so  they  let  it  go  unfinished. 

They  no  doubt  felt  the  need  of  a  deeper  religious 
life  in  their  own  church.  But  so  many  other  things 
came  in  to  take  their  attention  that  they  naturally 
became  slack  and  shiftless,  and  no  works  from  that 
church  were  perfected  before  God. 

What  a  picture  of  many  Christians  and  many 
churches  in  modern  times !  How  many  people  real- 
ize the  need  in  themselves  of  a  deeper  religious  life? 
We  know  we  ought  to  make  more  of  our  prayer 
life  and  that  we  ought  to  take  a  greater  interest 
in  the  spiritual  life  of  the  church.  We  determine 
that  we  will  attend  prayer  meeting  and  the  other 
church  services  more  regularly,  that  we  will  study 
the  Bible  more  diligently,  but  then  something  else 
comes  in  and  takes  our  attention.  We  will  have  to 
make  some  effort  and  give  up  some  other  things,  so 
we  just  let  that  go  unfinished. 

We  know  that  there  are  many  who  are  not  Chris- 
tians whom  we  should  influence,  either  in  our  homes 
or  In  a  Sunday  School  class,  or  in  our  circle  of 
friends;  we  know  that  there  are  people  in  the  com- 


Alive  in  Name  Only  157 

munity  In  which  we  live  who  should  be  reached 
for  Christ.  We  recognize  the  purpose  of  the 
Church,  but  to  do  this  work  will  mean  effort  on  our 
part.  It  will  mean  overcoming  our  spirit  of  dif- 
fidence and  self-consciousness,  it  will  mean  that  we 
must  give  up  some  things  that  are  hurting  our  in- 
fluence. To  do  this  work  the  Church  must  spend 
some  money,  that  she  must  have  our  time  which 
we  would  like  to  spend  in  other  ways,  that  she  will 
need  our  energy  which  we  would  like  to  put  else- 
where. And  because  of  this  how  often  men  and 
women  simply  let  things  go,  become  slack  and  care- 
less, satisfied  to  have  the  name  of  being  alive ! 

We  all  recognize  the  needs  of  the  mission  field, 
that  men  and  women  by  the  millions  are  dying  each 
year  without  Christ.  We  know  that  the  greatest 
work  the  Church  can  do  is  to  bring  the  Gospel  to 
those  people  as  soon  as  possible,  and  that  God  de- 
mands this.  But  missionary  activity  means  money 
that  we  want  for  some  other  things,  it  means  effort 
that  we  are  afraid  of  sacrificing,  it  means  that  some 
men  and  some  women  will  have  to  go  to  the  mis- 
sion field.  And  because  of  our  tendency  to  seek  the 
line  of  least  resistence  and  to  put  forth  as  little  exer- 
tion as  possible  we  let  this  work  go  unfinished.  Of 
how  many  churches  can  it  be  said  to-day  that  they 
have  no  works  perfected  before  God! 


158     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

Another  condition  that  revealed  the  deadness  of 
this  church  was  the  fact  that  the  burden  of  the  work 
rested  on  the  shoulders  of  a  few  people,  while  the 
rest  planned  on  getting  a  share  in  the  reward.  Jesus 
says  of  this  church,  "Thou  hast  a  few  names  in  Sar- 
dis  that  did  not  defile  their  garments." 

Though  the  church  was  prosperous  outwardly  and 
the  work  seemed  to  be  going  along  well,  yet  the  real 
success,  whatever  there  was,  depended  on  the  faith- 
ful few  in  the  church.  The  majority  of  the  members 
were  having  a  good  time,  enjoying  the  privileges  of 
the  church,  partaking  of  the  popularity  that  the 
church  gave  them  in  the  eyes  of  the  world — the 
Christian  world  at  least — but  the  real  work  that  was 
done  was  due  to  the  few  who  were  really  alive  and 
active.  There  was  some  religion,  there  was  some 
work  done  in  the  city  for  Christ,  there  was  some  in- 
fluence exerted  outside  for  the  bringing  of  others 
to  Christ  and  the  gospel  to  the  world.  But  this 
work  could  only  be  started;  it  could  not  be  finished 
and  perfected  because  these  few  were  not  able  to 
do  what  should  be  done. 

But  remember  it  was  the  few  faithful  that  were  to 
get  the  reward  for  the  work  done,  not  the  many  who 
were  careless  and  indifferent  about  progress  in  the 
church.  Jesus  says,  "They  shall  walk  with  me  in 
white,  for  they  are  worthy,"  and  the  inference  is  that 


Alive  in  Name  Only  159 

the  others  shall  not  walk  with  him  In  white  because 
they  are  not  worthy. 

Do  we  need  to  go  to  ancient  Sardls  to  find  this 
condition?  When  you  hold  a  prayer  meeting  how 
few  are  there?  When  an  evangelistic  movement  Is 
being  pushed  and  effort  being  made  to  lead  men  and 
women  to  accept  Christ,  how  few  will  take  the  re- 
sponsibility of  personal  work!  When  a  call  comes 
to  the  Church  for  greater  missionary  needs  and  de- 
mands, how  few  must  bear  the  burden!  A  portion 
of  this  work  Is  being  done  by  every  church,  but  only 
started  because  so  few  will  do  their  share.  Much 
greater  would  be  the  accomplishments  along  all  lines 
of  the  Church's  activities  If  the  many  instead  of  the 
few  were  faithful  and  loyal. 

But  this  very  condition  Is  killing  the  Church,  weak- 
ening her  efforts,  and  detracting  from  her  influence. 
Unless  we  are  among  those  few  we  are  responsible 
for  that  unfinished  work.  Unless  we  are  interested 
and  active  in  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church,  unless 
we  are  seeking  to  advance  the  church  work  along 
evangelistic  lines,  unless  we  are  Interested  and  active 
along  missionary  lines,  we  are  dead  ones  and  re- 
sponsible for  the  deadness  in  the  Church.  Then  we 
are  not  counted  worthy  to  walk  with  our  Master  in 
white.  We  may  be  filling  a  holy  place,  as  members 
of  the  Church,  but  we  are  dead  so  far  as  the  spirit 


i6o     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

is  concerned. 

There  is  a  picture  by  Hon.  John  Collier,  illus- 
trating an  incident  in  the  life  of  Pope  Urban  VI. 
The  Pope  had  heard  of  a  conspiracy  among  his 
cardinals.  So  he  sent  for  the  ringleaders  to  come 
to  his  residence  in  the  country,  the  Castle  of  Nocera. 
And  by  excruciating  tortures  he  tried  to  get  from 
them  the  details  of  the  conspiracy.  The  Pope 
walked  backward  and  forward  in  his  garden  be- 
neath the  open  window  of  the  torture-chamber,  re- 
citing his  breviary  to  encourage  the  torturers  in  their 
work. 

The  artist  has  depicted  him  walking  beneath,  clad 
in  his  garments  of  holy  office,  reading  earnestly  from 
his  manual  of  devotion,  and  using  it  to  encourage 
the  fiendish  cruelty  going  on  above  him.  And  how 
many  people  are  bringing  disgrace  on  their  holy 
calling,  how  many  churches  are  bringing  disgrace 
on  their  great  Founder,  by  having  the  name  of  being 
alive  and  still  failing  to  produce  the  evidence  of 
true  life! 

Just  in  a  word  notice  that  Jesus  gives  a  message 
as  to  how  they  may  guard  against  this  sleeping  sick- 
ness in  the  church  life. 

First,  they  are  to  recall  and  re-establish  the  great 
fundamentals  in  Christian  life  and  in  Christian  work. 
^'Remember  therefore  how  thou  didst  receive  and 


Alive  in  Name  Only  i6i 

didst  hear."  Let  us  remember  the  great  funda- 
mentals of  our  faith.  Remember  the  call  of  God 
for  that  life  of  fuller  consecration  which  comes 
through  prayer  and  a  study  of  His  Word.  Remem- 
ber the  call  of  God  for  greater  activity  of  the  Church 
along  religious  lines,  looking  towards  the  fulfillment 
of  the  great  purpose  for  which  He  has  called  us. 

Again,  they  are  to  be  diligent  in  grasping  the  op- 
portunities that  come  to  them  for  advancement  of 
true  life  in  the  Church. — "Be  thou  watchful  and  es- 
tablish the  things  which  remain,  that  are  ready  to 
die."  Let  us  lay  this  injunction  to  heart,  for  there 
are  opportunities  coming  to  us  on  all  sides.  Oppor- 
tunities to  make  prominent  in  our  lives  and  in  the 
life  of  the  Church  these  things  which  are  funda- 
mental and  that  are  life-giving,  as  well  as  the  evi- 
dence of  life.  But  if  we  do  not  grasp  them  they  will 
soon  pass,  for  they  are  ready  to  die,  and  the  Church 
herself  will  lose  her  power. 

What  do  you  suppose  was  the  effect  produced  on 
this  church  at  Sardis?  It  would  seem  that  it  could 
result  in  only  one  thing.  As  they  recognized  the 
truth  of  what  had  been  said  about  the  conditions  and 
heard  the  warning,  if  they  did  hot  change,  surely 
they  would  grasp  this  opportunity  for  having  them- 
selves filled  with  that  life-giving  Spirit  from  Him 
who  hath  the  seven  Spirits  of  God,  and  the  seven 


1 62     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

stars. 

And  Christ  says  that  if  they  do  not  repent  he  will 
come  upon  them  as  a  thief  in  the  night.  This  would 
possess  a  special  meaning  to  the  people  of  Sardis. 
The  city  was  situated  on  a  rocky  bluff  overlooking 
the  plain  of  Hermus.  On  three  sides  of  the  city 
the  cliff  was  thought  to  be  unscalable,  and  only  neces- 
sary to  guard  one  side.  But  twice  during  the  history 
of  the  city  had  this  very  sense  of  security  been  their 
undoing.  During  the  sixth  century  B.  C.  the  army 
of  Croesus  had  been  defeated  beyond  the  Halys 
by  the  army  of  Cyrus.  But  though  the  victorious 
army  appeared  before  the  city  walls,  yet  the  inhabi- 
tants were  not  alarmed,  because  of  the  security  of 
their  rock-fortress.  During  the  night  the  soldiers 
of  Cyrus  scaled  the  rock  and  captured  the  fortress, 
"like  a  thief  in  the  night."  About  three  centuries 
later  the  city  was  captured  by  Antiochus  in  much 
the  same  way  when  the  Cretan  Lagoras  climbed  the 
steep  hill  and  stole  unobserved  into  the  unsuspecting 
city. 

So  this  warning  that  God  will  come  upon  them 
like  a  thief  would  recall  these  fatal  incidents  in  their 
city's  history  and  must  have  left  a  deep  impression 
on  their  minds.  Shall  we  not  take  the  same  warning 
to-day  and  seek  not  only  to  have  the  name  of  being 
alive,  but  also  the  reality? 


Alive  in  Name  Only  163 

Awake,  my  soul,  stretch  every  nerve, 

And  press   with   vigor   on; 
A  heav'nly  race  demands  thy  zeal, 

And  an  immortal  crown, 

And  an  immortal  crown. 

A  cloud  of  witnesses  around, 

Hold  thee  in  full  survey; 
Forget  the  steps  already  trod, 

And  onward  urge  thy  way. 

And  onward  urge  thy  way. 

'Tis  God's  all-animating  voice 

That  calls  thee  from  on  high; 
'Tis  His  own  hand  presents  the  prize 

To  thine  aspiring  eye. 

To  thine  aspiring  eye. 

Blest  Saviour,  introduced  by  Thee, 

Have  I  my  race  begun; 
And,  crown'd  with  vict'ry,  at  Thy  feet 

I'll  lay  my  honors  down, 

I'll  lay  my  honors  down. 


CHAPTER  VII 


*'And  to  the  angel  of  the  church  In  Philadelphia 
write : 

"These  things  salth  he  that  is  holy,  he  that  is  true, 
he  that  hath  the  key  of  David,  he  that  openeth  and 
none  shall  shut,  and  that  shutteth  and  none  openeth; 
I  know  thy  works  (behold,  I  have  set  before  thee  a 
door  opened,  which  none  can  shut),  that  thou  hast 
a  little  power,  and  didst  keep  my  word,  and  didst 
not  deny  my  name.  Behold,  I  give  of  the  synagogue 
of  Satan,  of  them  that  say  they  are  Jews,  and  they 
are  not,  but  do  lie ;  behold,  I  will  make  them  to  come 
and  worship  before  thy  feet,  and  to  know  that  I 
loved  thee.  Because  thou  didst  keep  the  word  of 
my  patience,  I  also  will  keep  thee  from  the  hour 
of  trial,  that  hour  which  is  to  come  upon  the  whole 
world,  to  try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth.  I 
come  quickly:  hold  fast  that  which  thou  hast,  that 
no  one  take  thy  crown.  .  .  .  He  that  hath  an  ear, 
let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the  churches." 

Revelation  3 : 7-13. 


THE  OPEN  DOOR 

The  city  of  Philadelphia  was  situated  in  that  por- 
tion of  Asia  Minor  known  as  Lydia,  about  27  miles 
southeast  of  Sardis,  in  the  plain  of  Hermus.  It 
received  its  name,  which  means  brotherly  love,  no 
doubt  from  the  fact  that  it  was  built  by  Attalus 
Philadelphus.  A  portion  of  the  city  extended  up 
the  slope  of  Mt.  Tmolus.  In  A.  D.  17  it  was  de- 
stroyed by  an  earthquake,  but  was  soon  rebuilt.  It 
is  now  called  Allah  Shehr  and  continues  to  be  in- 
habited. The  walls  of  the  ancient  city,  which  are 
still  standing,  enclose  several  hills  with  the  remains 
of  a  temple  and  other  buildings. 

To  the  Christian  Church  founded  in  this  city  this 
letter  was  written.  As  you  study  this  message  you 
will  find  a  distinct  difference  from  the  general  char- 
acter of  the  other  letters.  In  the  letter  to  the  church 
at  Sardis  there  is  no  commendation  but  all  censure. 
In  the  other  letters  there  is  some  commendation  and 
some  censure.  But  in  this  letter  all  is  commenda- 
tion and  encouragement.  So  we  judge  that  it  must 
have   been   a    church   of   exceptional   strength   and 

167 


1 68     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

power. 

Let  us  first  consider  the  special  characteristics 
given  to  the  One  sending  the  message,  and  you  will 
find  them  more  striking  than  in  any  other  of  the 
letters;  also  that  they  have  special  reference  to  the 
message  that  is  to  be  given. 

The  first  part  of  this  character  sketch  is  in  re- 
gard to  the  personal  character  of  Jesus.  This  is 
back  of  the  message,  because  of  the  reference  to  the 
possibility  of  such  things  in  the  lives  of  the  readers. 
What  a  great  thing  that  back  of  Christ's  demands 
there  always  rests  the  fact  that  He  has  done  what  He 
requires  of  us!  "These  things  saith  he  that  is  holy, 
he  that  is  true."  Two  characteristics  stand  out  in 
all  distinctness.  The  One  speaking  is  holy;  no  fault 
or  flaw  can  be  found  in  His  character  or  His  con- 
duct; He  is  without  spot  or  blemish  or  any  such 
thing.  He  is  also  true,  for  nothing  that  is  false  will 
be  found  either  in  His  life  or  His  teachings. 

How  much  the  personal  character  of  the  author 
of  a  book  means  to  the  reader!  If  this  is  question- 
able you  question  the  message.  If  a  man  comes  to 
you  with  a  special  message  you  will  always  consider 
his  character  and  will  judge  the  quality  of  the  mes- 
sage pretty  much  by  what  you  find  in  the  man. 
What  a  blessing  that  we  have  One  speaking  to  us 
that  is  faultless  in  character,  in  whose  life  the  most 


The  Open  Door  169 

rabid  critic  can  find  no  flaw  I  And  what  a  power 
this  message  ought  to  exert  in  our  lives  when  there 
is  back  of  it  One  that  is  holy,  One  that  is  true.  The 
message  therefore  will  be  holy  and  true. 

Still  another  characteristic  is  mentioned,  namely, 
His  power  of  government,  for  the  message  says,  ''He 
that  hath  the  key  of  David,  he  that  openeth  and 
none  can  shut,  that  shutteth  and  none  openeth."  We 
want  to  know  the  authority  of  the  one  giving  us  a 
message,  especially  if  this  message  partakes  of  com- 
mands which  we  are  asked  to  obey.  So  the  rightful 
authority  of  Jesus  is  established  at  the  beginning  of 
the  letter,  and  this  is  founded  on  the  fact  that  He 
hath  the  key  of  David.  This  special  quality  would 
of  course  appeal  to  the  Jews,  for  it  meant  that  He 
was  the  rightful  heir  to  the  throne,  and,  being  in 
direct  lineage  of  David,  would  have  the  legal  right 
to  give  commands  and  to  expect  obedience. 

Let  us  get  firmly  in  our  minds  the  right  of  the 
Christ  to  give  commands  and  to  expect  obedience. 
On  this  will  rest,  to  a  great  extent,  our  attitude  to- 
ward these  commands.  We  are  not  strong  to  obey 
any  one  who  does  not  impress  us  with  his  authority 
and  his  power  to  control.  As  the  fact  that  Jesus  was 
in  direct  line  from  David  would  impress  the  Jew 
with  His  right  to  be  obeyed,  so  the  fact  that  He  is 
the  Son  of  God  ought  to  impress  us  with  His  author- 


1 70     TFhat  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

Ity  and  power. 

Of  what  does  this  power  consist? 

"He  openeth  and  none  shall  shut,"  which  un- 
doubtedly means  that  He  gives  to  men  their  oppor- 
tunities and  none  can  gainsay  those  opportunities. 
On  what  do  we  consider  our  opportunities  to  rest? 
Many  think  they  depend  on  their  own  strength  or 
on  the  conditions  that  surround  them.  But  how 
much  better  to  take  Jesus'  word  for  It,  that  He  gives 
them  and  no  one  can  close  that  door  for  us. 

"He  shutteth  and  none  openeth,"  which  also  means 
that  It  is  God  who  takes  from  us  our  opportunities. 
Though  we  may  blame  our  fellowmen  or  conditions 
or  even  ourselves,  yet  in  reality  it  is  God  who  is  in 
control  of  our  lives.  He  shuts  the  door  before  us 
and  no  one  has  the  power  to  open  it  again. 

But  what  are  our  God-given  opportunities?  In 
other  words,  what  Is  the  God-given  possibility  of  our 
lives?  Though  it  is  true  that  there  is  no  open  cen- 
sure in  this  letter,  yet  there  seems  to  be  one  implied. 
For  when  the  Lord  Is  about  to  speak  of  what  they 
have  done.  He  says,  "I  know  thy  works,"  then,  im- 
pressed evidently  by  what  had  been  the  possibility 
of  their  lives.  He  breaks  from  that  thought  and  says, 
"Behold,  I  have  set  before  thee  an  open  door,  which 
none  can  shut."  It  would  seem  that  the  Inference 
is  that  their  works  had  fallen  much  below  what  was 


The  Open  Door  171 

made  possible  by  that  open  door. 

It  Is  a  good  thing  for  us  to  recall  our  possibilities, 
for  If  we  do  not  the  tendency  Is  to  become  puffed  up, 
because  of  the  things  that  we  have  accomplished. 
No  matter  how  great  may  have  been  our  accomplish- 
ments, how  much  greater  has  been  the  possibilities 
that  lay  before  us  I  And  by  this  will  we  be  judged. 
And  the  possibility  rests  In  the  fact  that  God  has 
placed  before  us  an  open  door  and  that  this  door  can 
only  be  closed  by  the  hand  of  God  himself. 

From  this  we  will  see  that  our  opportunities  are 
God-given.  We  may  think  that  they  are  man-made, 
and  either  take  credit  for  them  to  ourselves  or  give 
credit  for  them  to  others,  but  they  are  given  of 
God. 

This  would  mean  that  they  are  always  worth 
while  and,  from  the  standpoint  of  their  real  value, 
ought  never  to  be  neglected.  How  many  men  are 
neglecting  the  opportunities  that  present  themselves 
each  day  and  with  little  thought  of  what  this  means, 
because  they  do  not  recognize  the  real  worth  of  these 
opportunities.  If  God  gives  them,  they  cannot  be 
of  little  Importance.  More  than  that,  they  are  to 
be  accounted  for  to  the  One  who  has  given  them. 
He  gives  the  talents  and  He  will  require  an  account 
to  be  rendered  to  himself.  God  opens  the  door  and 
God  shuts  it 


172     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

But  this  open  door  depends  on  the  relation  that 
exists  between  man  and  God.  The  blessings  from 
David's  reign  came  to  those  who  recognized  him  as 
their  king.  So  the  blessings  from  Him,  who  had 
the  key  of  David,  would  come  to  those  who  recog- 
nized Him  as  their  King.  And  the  reason  this  open 
door  had  been  placed  before  the  church  at  Phila- 
delphia was  that  they  had  recognized  Jesus  as  their 
Lord  and  King. 

We  are  looking  for  and  grasping  many  opportuni- 
ties, but  let  us  remember  that  the  greatest  oppor- 
tunities in  life  come  through  man's  relation  to  Jesus 
Christ.  The  highest  possibility  of  life  depends  on 
accepting  Christ  as  Lord  and  King,  recognizing  His 
authority  and  allowing  Him  to  open  the  door  for  us. 

But  what  are  these  God-given  opportunities? 
Many  open  doors  are  being  presented  to  us  and  we 
need  to  know  which  come  from  God  and  which  do 
not.     What  was  the  open  door  for  this  church? 

God  gives  to  each  man  the  open  door  of  sincerity 
in  the  life.  When  we  consider  the  character  of  the 
Christ  that  is  spoken  of  at  the  beginning  of  the  let- 
ter— One  that  is  holy  and  true,  free  from  fault  or 
falsity — we  would  naturally  conclude  that  such  an 
One  would  give  to  His  followers  the  opportunity 
of  such  a  life.  It  would  be  a  life  characterized  as 
perfectly  sincere,  through  which  one  could  look  and 


The  Open  Door  173 

find  no  flaw. 

This  opportunity  had  been  presented  to  the  church 
in  Philadelphia  that  they,  as  a  church,  should  live  in 
the  holiness  and  the  truth  of  the  One  whom  they 
served.  To  the  members  of  that  church  was  of- 
fered the  open  door  of  opportunity  to  follow  Him 
in  His  purity  and  perfection  of  life,  in  character  and 
conduct. 

This  is  the  great  opportunity  that  is  placed  be- 
fore the  Church  to-day,  that  she  shall  be  free  from 
blemish  and  flaws,  that  she  shall  be  clean  and  un- 
compromising in  her  attitude  toward  sin,  following 
the  One  that  is  holy  and  true.  Such  is  the  great 
opportunity  that  is  given  of  God  to  each  one  who 
will  accept  the  Christ  as  his  King.  For  to  them  will 
be  presented  the  open  door  to  follow  their  King  in 
His  standards  of  life,  to  be  holy  in  character  and 
true  in  the  ideals  that  are  fashioning  our  daily  ac- 
tivities. We  have  the  privilege  of  getting  from 
Him  the  great  conceptions  of  life,  of  sin  and  of  sal- 
vation, and  then  to  reveal  nothing  but  that  which 
is  true  in  our  attitude  toward  these  things.  Many 
will  say  that  this  is  impossible,  that  we  cannot  live 
pure  and  holy  lives,  that  we  cannot  follow  the  foot- 
steps of  the  Master.  But  He  has  opened  the  door 
for  us  and  none  can  shut  it. 

This  door  cannot  be  shut  by  the  power  of  sin  in 


174    What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

a  man's  heart.  Many  are  inclined  to  excuse  them- 
selves for  sin  in  the  life  on  the  ground  that  they 
could  not  resist,  for  the  power  of  evil  within  was 
too  strong  for  them.  But  the  power  of  God  is 
stronger  than  the  power  of  evil,  and  if  we  have 
opened  our  hearts  to  Him  He  can  gave  us  strength 
to  overcome. 

This  door  cannot  be  closed  by  the  power  of  op- 
posing circumstances.  Many  excuse  themselves  for 
sin  on  the  ground  that  surrounding  conditions  were 
all  against  them,  they  could  not  overcome  their  en- 
vironment. But  God  is  stronger  than  environment 
and  He  will  give  strength  to  overcome  these  cir- 
cumstances if  we  will  allow  Him  to  control,  for  none 
can  shut  the  door. 

God  also  gives  to  every  church  and  to  every  man 
the  open  door  of  service  through  the  life.  Special 
conditions  were  surrounding  this  church  at  Phila- 
delphia and  they  had  before  them  the  great  oppor- 
tunity of  being  the  power  in  that  city  and  community 
that  would  influence  men  to  acknowledge  Jesus 
Christ  as  their  King.  They  could  be  of  special 
service  to  the  city  in  lifting  their  ideals  and  stand- 
ards and  in  making  it  a  better  place  in  which  to  live. 

This  is  the  opportunity,  the  door  of  which  God 
has  opened  to  each  one  of  us.  Some  look  upon  the 
Christian  life  as  simply  being  good,  but  there  is 


The  Open  Door  175 

vastly  more  than  this  to  following  Jesus  Christ, 
for  it  also  means  doing  good.  The  Master  was 
holy  and  true  in  character,  but  he  also  spent  his 
life  in  service  for  others.  So  to  us  He  has  opened 
the  double  door  of  opportunity  in  the  possibility  of 
being  sincere  in  the  life  and  also  of  being  of  service 
through  the  life.  Each  one  has  certain  qualities 
that  can  be  used  in  such  a  way  as  to  bring  results 
in  the  life  about  him.  We  can  so  live  and  so  labor 
that  the  hves  of  those  about  us  will  be  happier  and 
stronger  to  meet  life's  struggles  and  to  fight  life's 
battles. 

And  to  the  Church  comes  the  same  opportunity. 
There  is  need  of  a  holier  and  truer  life  in  the 
Church  to-day,  but  there  is  also  a  need  of  a  deeper 
sense  of  what  the  Church  ought  to  mean  to  the  com- 
munity, in  what  it  is  bringing  into  the  community 
life.  Each  community  has  certain  conditions  and 
certain  problems,  and  the  opportunity  of  the  Church 
Is  to  meet  these  conditions  and  to  solve  these  prob- 
lems. The  Church  should  be  touching  the  home 
life  of  the  community  and  bringing  something  of 
real  value  to  It;  she  should  be  touching  the  business 
life,  the  social  life,  the  civic  life,  and  contributing 
that  which  is  worth  while  and  which  will  help  to  each 
department  of  the  community  life. 

If  Individuals  and  churches  are  following  the  ex- 


176    What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

ample  of  character  given  by  Christ,  living  that  which 
is  holy  and  holding  to  that  which  is  true;  if  they 
are  standing  firmly  for  the  authority  of  Christ  over 
the  lives  of  men  by  recognizing  such  authority  in 
their  own  lives,  they  can  be  of  unlimited  service  to 
the  people  that  touch  them  and  to  the  community 
at  large.  For  they  can  influence  others  to  accept 
the  same  standards.  This  door  is  open  to  each  indi- 
vidual and  to  each  church.  The  opportunity  comes 
from  God  and  must  be  met  by  us. 

The  door  cannot  be  closed  by  the  weakness  of 
the  one  to  whom  the  opportunity  is  given,  for  God 
has  promised  and  will  give  the  necessary  strength. 
Let  no  man  and  no  church  claim  that  the  work  is 
too  difficult,  for  God  has  opened  the  door  and  none 
but  God  can  shut  it  again.  How  many  excuse  them- 
selves on  the  ground  of  their  weakness  I  They  can- 
not bring  others  to  Christ;  the  Church  cannot  be 
of  much  Influence  In  the  life  of  the  community  be- 
cause so  small  and  so  weak,  but  the  strength  of  the 
Almighty  is  back  of  His  demand. 

This  door  cannot  be  closed  by  the  special  strength 
of  the  opposition.  We  are  always  looking  at  the 
opposing  forces  and  fearing  the  strength  that  seems 
to  be  in  evidence  there.  We  fear  to  speak  to  our 
neighbor  about  Christ  lest  he  may  not  appreciate 
it,  or  may  insult  us,  or  may  not  listen.     We  hesi- 


The  Open  Door  177 

tate  about  making  the  Church  the  instrument  of  real 
power  and  influence  in  the  service  that  it  can  render 
to  the  life  about  us  because  of  our  fear  of  the  power 
that  seems  to  be  arrayed  over  against  the  Church. 

We  make  so  much  of  the  indifference  of  people 
to  religion,  their  hardness  of  heart,  their  interest  in 
other  things,  that  we  fear  the  Church  cannot  be  of 
much  influence  against  such  opposition.  What  is  the 
use  of  trying  to  bring  others  to  Christ  when  they 
are  determined  not  to  come?  But  God  has  opened 
this  door  and  none  can  shut,  not  even  the  strength 
of  the  opposition,  for  God  is  stronger  than  they. 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  is  said  to  be  the  first  city  to 
equip  a  hotel  to  accommodate  people  arriving  in  the 
city  by  aeroplane.  On  the  top  of  the  structure,  that 
is  higher  than  any  other  building  in  the  vicinity, 
there  is  a  large  platform  for  landing  the  aeroplanes. 
It  is  100  feet  long,  50  feet  wide,  with  a  portable 
section  to  make  it  80  feet  longer  if  necessary.  This 
is  surrounded  by  buffers  to  catch  a  plane,  should  it 
not  be  under  perfect  control  of  the  aviator.  Thus 
the  effort  is  made  to  meet  the  modern  conditions 
and  render  the  service  needed.  So  the  individual 
and  the  Church  should  be  as  intent  in  meeting  the 
modern  conditions  and  rendering  service  for  Christ. 

Notice  also  the  meager  accomplishments  of  men 
over  against  the  wonderful  possibilities  that  God 


178     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

has  given,  for  the  Master  said  to  this  Church, 
"Thou  hast  a  little  power." 

Of  course  it  was  and  is  necessary  to  have  power 
to  accomplish  things,  either  for  ourselves  or  for 
God.  All  the  things  that  men  do  are  the  result  of 
the  power  that  they  possess.  So  there  is  need  of 
power,  in  order  to  do  the  things  that  God  has  placed 
before  us  by  the  open  door.  And  how  little  the 
amount  of  power  revealed  in  comparison  with  the 
greatness  of  that  which  is  given  us  to  do?  What- 
ever power  we  may  have,  no  matter  how  small,  it 
will  show  itself  in  producing  some  results.  This 
was  true  of  this  Church  at  Philadelphia,  it  is  true 
of  each  Church  to-day,  it  is  true  of  each  individual. 
But  what  is  the  amount  of  the  power  that  we  pos- 
sess, when  judged  by  the  extent  of  our  accomplish- 
ments? With  this  Church,  their  power  was  revealed 
in  a  two-fold  result. 

First,  in  their  obedience  to  the  commands  of 
Christ,  their  King.  For  the  commendation  is  given 
to  them,  "Thou  didst  keep  my  word."  They  knew 
what  their  Master  required,  because  His  commands 
had  been  given  along  the  line  of  their  individual 
lives  and  along  the  line  of  their  work  in  the  Church. 
And  they  had  proven  that  there  was  some  real 
strength  in  them,  in  that  they  had  kept  these  com- 
mands. 


The  Open  Door  179 

These  commands  are  coming  to  us  each  day.  We 
know  what  is  required  of  us  to  be  followers  of 
Jesus  Christ.  There  is  no  real  question  in  our  minds 
as  to  what  Christ  wants  us  to  do,  though  we  may 
endeavor  to  confuse  the  issue  by  expressions  of 
doubt  and  uncertainty.  But  if  there  is  any  real 
power  in  our  Christian  lives,  it  will  show  itself  in 
that  we  are  keeping  Christ's  word. 

Again,  they  revealed  some  power  in  their  defence 
of  their  religion.  There  were  strong  forces 
at  work,  endeavoring  to  get  these  Christians  to  turn 
aside  and  to  give  up  their  faithfulness  to  their  Lord. 
They  were  urged  not  only  to  disobey  His  com- 
mands, but  also  to  deny  His  name.  Many  in  the 
Jewish  synagogue,  which  Christ  ^character'izes  as 
the  synagogue  of  Satan,  had  opposed  them  in  their 
loyalty  to  their  King.  But  they  had  revealed  their 
power  in  resisting  these  attacks.  Not  only  were 
they  true  and  holy  in  their  characters,  but  they  were 
also  open  and  aboveboard  in  their  profession  of 
their  relation  to  the  Christ. 

There  are  forces  at  work  to-day  that  are  seeking 
to  get  Christians  to  deny  the  name  of  their  Lord, 
to  deny  His  divinity  and  His  power,  His  rightful 
authority  and  ability  to  rule.  Glad  indeed  would 
be  the  forces  of  Satan,  if  they  could  get  us  to  say 
that  men  could  be  saved  from  their  sins  in  other 


i8o    What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

ways,  as  well  as  through  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. 
And  some  are  giving  way  to  these  attacks.  But  we 
will  show  real  power  by  a  loyal  defence  of  our  King 
in  refusing  to  deny  His  name. 

But  it  would  seem  that  they  lacked  the  power  for 
progressive  and  aggressive  Christian  work.  They 
were  strong  on  defense  but  weak  on  offense.  The 
surroundings  in  the  city  presented  many  opportuni- 
ties for  this  aggressive  work,  for  the  upbuilding  of 
the  Cause  of  Christ.  But  they  had  let  them  pass, 
the  door  had  been  opened,  and  they  had  not  en- 
tered. 

And  how  prone  we  are  to-day  to  be  content  in 
holding  our  ground !  We  feel  that  if  we  are  living 
pretty  good  lives  and  do  not  allow  our  church  work 
to  retrograde,  if  we  do  not  disobey  the  word  and 
do  not  deny  the  name  of  Christ,  and  if  we  are 
faithful  to  Him  in  our  lives  and  loyal  to  Him  be- 
fore others,  surely  this  is  evidence  of  real  power 
in  us  and  in  our  Church.  We  pride  ourselves  in 
that  our  Church  is  conservative  and  strong  in  cling- 
ing to  the  old  ideas  in  religion,  both  in  thought  and 
method.  All  well  and  good.  But  what  we  need  to 
realize  is  that  this  is  but  the  evidence  of  a  little 
power,  and  that  the  real  live  Church  is  the  one  that, 
with  this,  is  pushing  ahead  through  the  door  of  op- 
portunity, which  modern  times  and  modern  condi- 


The  Open  Door  i8l 

tions  are  presenting.  We  admire  the  progressive 
spirit  In  everything  else;  let  us  have  It  in  religion. 

But  this  demands  power,  which  alone  comes  from 
God.  Great  tasks  demand  great  power,  and  great 
power  will  show  itself  in  great  tasks. 

A  Denver  engineer  has  suggested  a  plan  to  raise 
the  Titanic  from  the  bottom  of  the  Atlantic,  where 
it  lies,  about  two  miles  deep,  with  immense  treasure 
in  its  vaults  and  staterooms.  He  wishes  to  drop 
huge  magnets  to  it,  and,  by  turning  on  electric  cur- 
rents, cause  them  to  grip  the  steel  hull,  so  that  it 
may  be  lifted  to  the  surface.  This  will  require 
enormous  power,  and,  if  the  task  is  accomplished, 
it  will  be  the  evidence  of  the  presence  of  enormous 
power. 

God,  by  His  open  door,  has  given  us  an  enormous 
task  to  perform,  which  is  only  being  half  done  be- 
cause power  is  lacking.  But  it  can  be  done,  pro- 
viding we  can  get  in  touch  with  power  sufficient  to 
meet  the  demand.  This  Is  to  be  found  in  God  and 
He  will  supply  it. 

Let  us  also  notice  the  promise  that  God  gives  to 
His  people.  What  a  God  we  have  to  reward  royally 
even  a  little  faithfulness  to  Him,  and  a  little  stead- 
fastness In  obedience  to  His  Word!  It  was  on  this 
ground  that  the  reward  was  given.  We  may  be 
meager  In  our  service,  but  He  is  munificent  in  His 


1 82     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

reward.  This  is  found  in  His  promise  to  this 
church. 

The  first  promise  was  success  In  reaching  their 
fellowmen  and  in  bringing  them  to  accept  Christ. 
They  had  suffered  much  from  these  people,  who 
claimed  to  be  Jews.  They  had  laughed  at  their  be- 
lief and  had  tried  to  undermine  their  faith.  But 
these  were  the  very  ones  that  they  would  like  to  see 
converted.  And  from  the  message  of  this  letter, 
there  is  brought  to  them  the  assurance  that  by  their 
faithfulness  in  the  midst  of  trial  they  have  so  im- 
pressed these  people  with  the  fact  that  God  loved 
them,  that  eventually  they  would  have  the  greatest 
of  all  rewards,  of  seeing  them  brought  to  worship 
their  God.  But  this  fact  is  emphasized,  that  this 
success  of  winning  outsiders  into  the  Kingdom  was 
due  to  the  power  of  God,  given  as  a  reward  for 
their  faithfulness,  for  God  says,  "Behold,  I  will 
make  them  to  come." 

There  is  nothing  that  would  bring  us  greater  joy 
or  that  we  would  count  to  be  greater  success  than 
that  those  who  are  now  opposed  to  the  Christ  and 
His  work  might  be  brought  to  worship  Him.  But 
let  us  remember  that  they  will  only  be  impressed 
when,  by  our  faithfulness  to  our  religion,  we  prove 
that  God  really  loves  us.  And  back  of  all  our  ef- 
forts there  is  always  the  power  of  God  that  is  caus- 


The  Open  Door  183 

ing  them  to  come.  Let  us  look  to  the  power  of 
God  for  success  In  winning  others  to  Christ. 

Another  promise  that  is  given  is  a  deliverance 
from  temptation.  Christ  says,  ''Because  thou  didst 
keep  My  word,  I  also  will  keep  thee  from  the  hour 
of  trial." 

There  are  temptations  that  would  drag  us  down 
into  lives  of  sin,  and  men  are  anxious  to  be  rid  of 
them.  Temptations  come  because  of  the  outer  con- 
ditions that  surround  us,  but  also  because  of  the 
inner  response  to  these  conditions.  What  is  the 
difference  between  the  man  who  is  a  Christian  and 
the  man  who  is  not  in  meeting  the  temptations  of 
life?  The  outward  conditions  may  remain  the  same, 
but  their  power  over  us  will  depend  on  the  response 
from  within. 

God  says  that  He  will  keep  His  people  from  the 
hour  of  trial  or  temptation,  because  of  their  faith- 
fulness and  steadfastness.  This  deliverance  comes 
as  a  result  and  a  reward  for  steadfastness  in  obedi- 
ence. 

Our  power  in  meeting  temptations  is  dependent 
on  our  obedience  to  God's  commands,  for  if  these 
are  obeyed  there  is  produced  an  inner  condition  that 
weakens  the  response  to  the  outer  condition.  And 
back  of  all  this,  let  us  remember  there  is  the  power 
of  God  working  in  our  behalf.     Many  are  meeting 


1 84    What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

temptation  with  fear  and  trembling,  knowing  their 
own  weakness.  But  what  encouragement  In  the  as- 
surance that  God  Is  fighting  for  us  I 

Many  years  ago  the  Egyptian  obelisk  In  Central 
Park  In  New  York  was  treated  to  a  coating  of 
paraffin,  with  the  hope  of  staying  the  ravages  of 
storm  and  changes  of  weather  on  the  soft  stone. 
Since  that  time  this  treatment  has  been  much  used. 
The  crumbling  stones  In  old  Trinity  churchyard 
have  been  given  a  coating  of  wax  for  the  same  pur- 
pose, as  also  the  monument  of  Alexander  Hamilton. 
It  Is  said  that  by  renewing  the  coating  every  fifteen 
or  twenty  years  these  old  landmarks  can  be  pre- 
served for  centuries. 

So  God  has  promised  to  His  people  that  rela- 
tionship to  Him  that  will  give  them  power  to  over- 
come temptation,  to  live  a  sincere  life  and  to  lead 
others  Into  His  kingdom.  There  may  be  many 
things  that  tend  to  destroy,  but  this  coating  of  God's 
power  Is  always  sufficient  to  meet  our  needs.  With 
this  thought  surely  those  Impressive  words  will  come 
to  us  with  great  power,  as  they  must  have  come  to 
these  people,  "I  come  quickly;  hold  fast  that  which 
thou  hast,  that  no  one  take  thy  crown." 

A  charge  to  keep  I  have, 
A  God  to  glorify, 


The  Open  Door  185 

A  never-dying  soul  to  save 
And  fit  it  for  the  sky. 

To  serve  the  present  age, 
My  calling  to  fulfil; 
Oh,  may  it  all  my  powers  engage 
To  do  my  Master's  will! 

Arm  me  with  jealous  care. 

As  In  Thy  sight  to  live; 

And  oh,  Thy  servant.  Lord,  prepare 

A  strict  account  to  give. 

Help  me  to  watch  and  pray. 
And  on  Thyself  rely. 
Assured,  If  I  my  trust  betray, 
I  shall  forever  die. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


"To  the  angel  of  the  Church  In  Laodicea  write: 
"These  things  saith  the  Amen,  the  faithful  and 
true  witness,  the  beginning  of  the  creation  of  God; 
I  know  thy  works,  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor 
hot:  I  would  thou  wert  cold  or  hot.  So  because 
thou  art  lukewarm,  and  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will 
spew  thee  out  of  my  mouth.  Because  thou  sayest,  I 
am  rich,  and  have  gotten  riches,  and  have  need  of 
nothing;  and  knowest  not  that  thou  art  the  wretched 
one  and  miserable  and  poor  and  blind  and  naked:  I 
counsel  thee  to  buy  of  me  gold  refined  by  fire,  that 
thou  mayest  be  rich;  and  white  garments,  that  thou 
mayest  clothe  thyself,  and  that  the  shame  of  thy 
nakedness  may  not  be  made  manifest;  and  eye-salve 
to  anoint  thine  eyes,  that  thou  mayest  see.  As  many 
as  I  love,  I  reprove  and  chasten;  be  zealous  there- 
fore and  repent.  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and 
knock:  if  any  man  hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door, 
I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and 
he  with  me.  .  .  .  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear 
what  the  Spirit  saith  to  the  churches." 

Rev.  3:  12-21. 


LUKEWARM  RELIGION 

Laodlcea  was  a  city  originally  called  Diospolis, 
city  of  Zeus,  was  enlarged  and  improved  by  An- 
tiochus  II,  and  was  named  by  him  Laodicea,  after 
his  wife  Laodice.  It  was  the  chief  city  of  Phrygia, 
in  Asia  Minor,  and  was  situated  a  little  south  of 
Colossae  and  HIerapolis,  on  the  river  Lycos,  a  trib- 
utary of  the  Meander.  Among  its  inhabitants 
were  numbered  many  Jews.  Epaphras  labored 
there  and  is  regarded  as  the  founder  of  this  Church 
to  which  this  letter  is  written.  Paul  was  interested 
in  conditions  in  the  Church,  as  he  sent  them  saluta- 
tions, also  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Church,  which  has 
been  lost.  About  the  year  65  A.  D.  Laodicea,  Co- 
lossae, and  HierapoHs  were  destroyed  by  earthquake. 
Laodicea  was  rebuilt  by  Marcus  Aurelius.  Its 
ruins  still  exist  at  a  place  called  Eski  Hissar,  about 
^6  miles  south  of  Smyrna. 

To  this  church  in  Laodicea  was  written  the  last 
of  the  seven  letters  to  the  churches  in  Asia  Minor, 
and  it  is  full  of  practical  truths.  But  you  will  find 
that  this  letter  is  entirely  different  from  the  others 

189 


190     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

that  we  have  studied.  There  is  no  commendation, 
and  the  censure  given  is  very  caustic  and  cutting,  and 
the  condemnation  very  decided  and  certain. 

Our  method  of  study  will  be  much  the  same  as 
with  the  other  letters,  for  we  will  first  study  the 
first  part  of  the  letter,  which  gives  a  description  of 
the  One  sending  the  message.  Special  characteris- 
tics are  given  that  differ  entirely  from  those  charac- 
teristics given  In  the  other  letters. 

Notice,  then,  the  character  of  the  One  sending  the 
message.  The  repetition  of  this  part  in  each  letter 
shows  the  necessity  that  men  shall  recognize  the  true 
character  of  the  Christ  back  of  His  words,  In  order 
that  those  words  shall  come  with  real  power.  And 
when  men  endeavor  to  minimize  the  character  of 
Christ  and  to  question  His  divinity,  they  in  turn  will 
lose  the  value  of  His  message.  Let  us  be  sure  that 
He  IS  always  back  of  His  message  to  us. 

Also  there  has  been  a  distinct  message  for  each 
Church,  suited  to  the  special  conditions  In  that  par- 
ticular Church.  But  there  has  also  always  been  the 
special  characteristics  of  the  Christ  that  exists  back 
of  each  particular  message. 

So  we  learn  the  important  truth  that  Jesus  has 
a  message  for  each  one  of  us,  suited  to  the  special 
conditions  of  our  individual  lives.  The  Bible  can 
touch  each  life  with  practical  power.     Let  us  also 


Lukewarm  Religion  191 

remember  that  there  Is  In  the  life  of  Christ  that 
characteristic  which  touches  each  life,  no  matter 
what  may  be  the  need. 

We  will  undoubtedly  find  that  the  conditions  that 
prevailed  In  this  Church  at  Laodlcea  are  duplicated 
in  our  lives  and  In  the  Church,  to  some  extent  at 
least,  so  will  we  find  that  the  charactertlstlcs  of 
Christ  mentioned  here  will  touch  that  condition  with 
real  power. 

What  are  these  characteristics? 

*'These  things  saith  the  Amen."  The  word 
*'Amen"  may  well  be  translated,  ''so  let  It  be."  It 
comes  as  the  final  word,  after  which  nothing  more 
remains  to  be  said  on  the  subject.  And  Jesus,  rep- 
resented as  "the  Amen,"  is  the  One  who  speaks  the 
final  word  In  regard  to  man.  When  He  sends  this 
message  to  this  Church,  nothing  more  remains  to 
be  said  In  reference  to  their  condition.  It  made 
no  difference  what  others  had  thought  of  them,  this 
was  the  last  thing  that  could  be  said. 

This  ought  to  mean  much  to  men  to-day,  for  when 
Jesus  speaks  to  men  or  in  reference  to  men,  noth- 
ing more  remains.  This  will  be  the  final  word  in 
the  summing  up  of  their  characters.  When  He 
speaks,  we  know  where  we  stand,  and  that  opinion 
will  not  change,  for  the  last  word  has  been  spoken. 

Again,  "these  things  saith  the  faithful  and  true 


192     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

witness."  Not  only  had  Jesus  said  the  last  word, 
in  regard  to  this  Church,  but  the  word  that  He 
had  spoken  was  the  absolute  truth.  Others  were 
passing  judgment  on  the  conditions  that  prevailed 
there,  but  the  judgment  of  Jesus  was  vital,  because 
faithful  and  true. 

He  Is  witnessing  for  us  to-day,  both  as  individ- 
uals and  as  a  Church.  And  whatever  that  witness 
may  be  we  may  rest  assured  that  He  is  faithful  in 
giving  His  testimony  and  truthful  in  delivering  His 
message.  Many  people  are  passing  judgment,  some 
just,  others  unjust,  but  Jesus  is  also  passing  judg- 
ment, as  He  did  on  this  Church  at  Laodlcea.  And 
His  judgment  is  vital  to  us,  because  He  Is  a  faithful 
and  true  witness.  Many  witnesses  may  give  their 
testimony  In  a  trial,  but  the  witness  that  really  counts 
is  the  one  who  Is  recognized  as  faithful  and  true, 
for  on  such  testimony  you  can  depend.  We  can 
build  on  the  testimony  of  Jesus.  No  matter  how 
close  this  message  may  strike  to  our  lives,  let  us 
remember  that  He  speaks  the  truth.  He  reveals 
the  actual  condition,  for  He  is  the  faithful  and  true 
witness. 

Again,  "These  things  saith  the  beginning  of  the 
creation  of  God."  It  may  have  been  true  that  the 
public  condemned  many  things  existing  in  this 
Church  at  Laodlcea,  but  they  excused  themselves  on 


Lukewarm  Religion  193 

the  ground  that  the  public  did  not  know  the  true 
conditions,  therefore  their  judgment  was  not  of 
much  Importance.  But  here  is  a  message  from  One 
who  does  know,  for  He  was  the  beginning  of  the 
creation  of  God.  Nothing  was  before  Him  in  point 
of  time,  so  He  was  conversant  with  all  conditions 
that  led  up  to  the  special  situation  in  their  Church, 
and  gave  this  message  from  the  standpoint  of  per- 
fect knowledge. 

How  often  we  cast  aside  the  criticism  of  our  fel- 
lowmen,  on  the  ground  that  they  do  not  understand 
the  conditions !  There  are  so  many  things  that 
have  entered  into  the  present  situation  of  the 
Church,  of  which  the  outsider  knows  nothing,  and 
his  criticism  is  the  result  of  ignorance.  As  we  study 
this  message  let  us  keep  in  mind  the  fact  that  it  is 
from  One  who  knows  everything  in  regard  to  our 
lives.  Men  may  speak  from  a  limited  knowledge, 
but  here  Is  One  who  speaks  from  a  knowledge  that 
is  unlimited  and  complete,  for  He  was  from  the 
beginning  of  the  creation  of  God. 

These  people  must  have  read  this  letter  with  great 
concern  as  to  what  such  a  Messenger  thought  of 
them.  And  when  they  found  His  opinion  expressed 
in  no  uncertain  terms,  how  it  must  have  stirred  their 
hearts.  Messages  are  coming  to  us  from  time  to 
time  that  should  arouse  us  to  action,  but  we  pass 


194    What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

them  on  with  little  concern.  But  surely  when  we 
recognize  the  true  character  of  the  One  who  is 
speaking,  we  ought  to  be  very  much  concerned  as  to 
what  His  opinion  is.  And  when  we  do  get  that 
opinion  from  this  letter,  it  surely  ought  to  stir  us 
up  to  meet  the  demands  that  are  made  upon  us. 

And  when  we  study  the  message  itself  we  find 
that  it  is  first  of  all  a  severe  condemnation  of  Luke- 
warm Religion.  The  One,  that  is,  "the  Amen,  the 
faithful  and  true  witness,  the  beginning  of  the  crea- 
tion of  God,"  says  of  this  Church,  "I  know  thy 
works,  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot — thou  art 
lukewarm  and  neither  hot  nor  cold."  We  can  see 
the  difference  between  this  message  and  the  others. 
This  Church  could  not  be  upbraided  because  of  un- 
belief as  some  of  the  others;  it  could  not  be  charged 
with  unfaithfulness,  as  others;  there  was  no 
heresy  in  her  midst,  she  was  not  marred  by  the 
existence  of  open  sin  among  her  members,  she  had 
no  factions  utterly  opposed  to  the  Christian  religion, 
conditions  that  existed  in  other  Churches  in  Asia 
Minor.  But  simply  this  charge  is  made  against 
her,  that  she  is  lukewarm. 

And  we  do  not  need  to  go  back  to  this  Church  in 
Asia  Minor  to  find  ground  for  the  charge  of  luke- 
warmness  in  matters  of  religion.  Of  many  Churches 
and  many  individuals  it  can  be  said  that  they  are 


Lukewarm  Religion  195 

neither  cold  nor  hot,  just  lukewarm.  But  In  order 
to  make  It  a  practical  message,  let  us  consider  just 
what  conditions  would  signify  lukewarmness. 

It  would  be  shown  in  a  lack  of  interest  In  things 
religious.  There  are  many  things  in  connection 
with  the  Kingdom  of  God  that  need  attention. 
There  is  the  regular  work  of  the  Church,  the  regu- 
lar services,  the  special  services,  all  demanding  the 
concern  of  some  one.  There  are  the  different  or- 
ganizations of  the  Church,  through  which  her  work 
is  to  be  carried  forward.  And  if  this  work  Is  to  be 
done,  some  one  must  show  an  interest. 

And  often  is  It  true  that  the  services  of  the 
Church  are  not  what  they  should  be,  small  in  at- 
tendance, lacking  in  power  because  there  Is  a  lack 
of  interest  on  the  part  of  the  membership.  You 
will  also  find  that  in  any  special  movement  there  will 
not  be  as  much  accomplished  as  should  be  because 
of  a  lack  of  Interest  on  the  part  of  those  who  should 
be  vitally  concerned.  The  work  of  the  different  or- 
ganizations demands  attention,  and  often  lags  be- 
cause of  lukewarmness. 

Whatever  work  is  being  done  is  due  to  those  who 
are  interested.  And  the  weakness  to-day  is  in  that 
there  are  too  many  who  should  be  vitally  concerned 
that  are  neither  cold  nor  hot.  When  people  are 
interested   in   any  project   they  will   be   concerned 


106    fVhat  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

about  the  progress  being  made.  But  there  aji^e 
many  people  in  our  Churches  who  hardly  give  the 
work  of  the  Church  a  thought  from  one  week's  end 
to  another.  How  many  do  not  even  know  what 
the  Church  is  doing!  They  do  not  know  what  prog- 
ress is  being  made  and  are  seldom  concerned  enough 
to  inquire.     What  is  Jesus'  opinion  of  such  people? 

Also  true  is  it  that  when  people  are  interested 
in  any  undertaking,  they  will  not  only  be  concerned 
about  its  success,  but  they  will  also  contribute  to- 
wards its  support,  even  though  it  means  personal 
sacrifice.  The  work  of  Jesus  Christ  demands 
something  of  His  followers.  And  much  lack  of 
progress  is  due  to  the  fact  that  many  people  are  not 
willing  to  put  themselves  into  the  work  when  it 
means  that  they  must  give  up  anything. 

When  a  man  is  interested  in  his  business,  not  only 
will  he  be  concerned  about  the  actual  condition,  but 
he  will  also  be  glad  to  put  something  into  the  busi- 
ness, in  order  that  it  may  succeed.  But  too  often 
the  people  in  the  Church,  even  when  they  know  the 
actual  conditions  that  exist  and  the  needs  of  the 
church  work  along  different  lines,  are  not  ready  to 
contribute  toward  its  support  if  this  demands  sacri- 
fice. Many  do  not  hesitate  to  allow  their  daily  work 
to  force  out  the  church  work.  Many  allow  their 
pleasure  to   interfere  with  their  church,   and  they 


Lukewarm  Religion  197 

win  let  the  church  work  get  along  the  best  It  can, 
unless  everything  Is  convenient  for  them  to  help. 
Every  church  has  those  among  her  members  who 
can  only  be  Interested  In  the  church  work  when  It 
does  not  Interfere  with  anything  else  In  their  lives. 
They  are  lukewarm  In  religious  matters. 

Lukewarmness  Is  also  revealed  In  the  lack  of  en- 
thusiasm on  the  part  of  those  who  are  really  Inter- 
ested In  the  success  of  the  Church.  Our  Churches 
are  full  of  those  who  would  like  to  see  things  move, 
so  far  as  the  Church  Is  concerned  and  also  In  their 
Individual  Christian  lives.  But  they  are  utterly 
lacking  in  the  true  spirit  of  enthusiasm  for  the  Chris- 
tian religion  Itself  and  for  the  work  of  the  Christian 
Church.  There  Is  too  much  half-hearted  work  be- 
ing done  for  Jesus  Christ. 

You  will  find  a  great  many  people  who  are  cold, 
they  have  no  thought  or  care  for  religion,  and  you 
will  find  some  that  are  hot,  burning  with  zeal  for 
the  work  of  Christ's  Kingdom.  But  the  great  ma- 
jority of  people  are  those  who  are  thoughtful 
enough  to  unite  with  the  Church,  but  never  get 
heated  up  to  the  point  where  they  are  on  fire  for 
the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Many,  as  we  have  said,  are  lacking  in  real  inter- 
est, though  they  want  to  be  members  of  the  Church 
and  be  considered  religious,  yet  only  because  it  is 


198     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

the  respectable  thing  to  do.  But  many  are  vitally 
interested  in  the  Church  and  her  success,  though  it 
is  resting  heavily  on  their  hearts,  yet  they  lack  the 
fire  of  real  enthusiasm  for  that  work.  We  get 
enthusiastic  about  everything  else,  our  business,  our 
pleasure,  our  school  life,  our  home  life,  our  civic  life, 
our  social  concerns,  our  clubs,  our  lodges,  our 
dances,  our  card  parties,  our  theatres,  our  moving- 
picture  shows,  but  when  it  comes  to  enthusiasm  for 
rehgion  and  the  work  of  the  Church,  we  are  luke- 
warm. And  you  will  find  the  weakness  of  the 
Church  to  be  in  the  lukewarmness,  the  lack  of  en- 
thusiasm. 

When  we  are  dead  in  earnest  about  anything,  we 
believe  in  the  success  of  what  we  are  doing.  Watch 
the  man  who  gets  enthusiastic  about  his  own  special 
line  of  work.  He  is  controlled  by  the  firm  belief 
that  he  can  win  out  and  that  the  undertaking  will 
succeed.  If  men  are  endeavoring  to  arouse  interest 
in  any  new  movement  in  the  community,  they  are 
fired  by  the  belief  that  success  will  crown  their  ef- 
forts. When  they  lose  that  feeling,  they  lose  their 
enthusiasm. 

But  many  to-day  show  that  they  are  not  dead  in 
earnest  about  the  work  of  Christ  because  they  do  not 
really  believe  in  the  success  of  that  work.  If  any 
special  effort  is  being  undertaken,  they  do  not  be- 


Lukewarm  Religion  199 

lieve  it  will  succeed,  so  they  are  half-hearted  in 
pushing  it.  They  do  not  believe  they  can  live  as 
Christ  hved,  so  they  lack  earnestness  in  making 
the  endeavor. 

When  we  are  in  dead  earnest  about  anything,  we 
take  advantage  of  every  opportunity  for  impressing 
others  with  its  real  value.  Watch  the  man  who  be- 
comes enthusiastic  about  a  certain  brand  of  politics, 
or  the  woman  who  becomes  enthused  over  her  club, 
and  what  is  the  result?  Each  will  grasp  every 
chance  that  presents  itself  for  leading  others  to  see 
the  real  worth  of  that  in  which  they  are  interested. 

And  what  is  the  result  of  such  enthusiasm? 
Others  are  impressed  by  it  and  they  begin  to  think 
that  there  must  be  something  in  this  that  means  so 
much  to  their  friend.  The  enthusiasm  grows,  others 
catch  the  fire,  and  the  project  succeeds.  But  when 
there  is  a  lack  of  enthusiasm,  though  one  may  talk 
a  great  deal  about  that  in  which  they  are  inter- 
ested, yet  their  words  lack  power,  because  they  lack 
fire  and  conviction. 

So  men  often  lack  in  their  enthusiasm  for  their 
religion.  They  may  be  interested,  they  may  talk 
about  the  importance  of  the  Church  and  her  work, 
but  their  words  lack  power  because  they  lack  the 
fire  of  earnestness.  If  church  members  were  dead  in 
earnest  about  the  church  services,  they  would  not 


200     What  the  Spirit  Saitk  to  the  Churches 

let  an  opportunity  slip  to  tell  others  how  important 
they  were.  As  a  result  the  churches  throughout 
the  land  would  be  filled  to  overflowing. 

These  opportunities  are  coming  to  us  each  day, 
but  what  do  they  mean  to  us?  Are  we  not  luke- 
warm in  our  enthusiasm?  If  we  were  in  earnest 
about  any  special  work  in  the  Church,  we  would 
talk  about  it  to  others  in  such  a  spirit  that  we  would 
impress  them  with  its  real  value,  and  they  would 
desire  a  share  in  it.  But  when  we  question  in  our 
hearts  the  success  of  a  movement  and  refuse  to  say 
much  about  it,  or  when  we  tell  others  that  we  hope 
it  will  succeed  but  are  not  sure,  they  will  take  their 
cue  from  us  and  will  lose  interest. 

When  we  are  enthusiastic  about  our  religion,  we 
will  tell  others  about  it  and  show  them  that  it  means 
something  to  us,  that  it  is  of  real  value,  and  they 
will  want  it.  Either  men  have  not  gotten  the  right 
brand  of  religion  or  it  doesn't  mean  very  much  to 
them  when  they  cannot  talk  about  it  to  others,  so 
that  their  fellowmen  will  be  impressed.  We  can  do 
it  with  everything  else,  in  which  we  are  interested 
and  we  can  do  it  with  our  religion  if  we  really  get 
on  fire  with  enthusiasm  for  it.  But  we  kill  our  in- 
fluence by  our  spirit  of  lukewarmness. 

Dr.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman  was  about  to  open  an 
evangelistic  campaign  in  Boston.     He  had  just  ar- 


Lukewarm  Religion  20 1 

rived,  when  approached  by  a  young  newspaper  re- 
porter, who  said  to  him:  "Dr.  Chapman,  I  sup- 
pose you  are  hoping  for  a  great  revival  here."  Dr. 
Chapman  turned  to  him  and  with  characteristic 
earnestness  said,  "Young  man,  there  is  going  to  be 
a  great  revival  here,  we  do  not  hope  so,  we  know 
so."  That  spirit  wins  along  all  lines.  It  will  win 
with  us  in  our  religious  lives  and  in  our  church  work. 

But  what  is  the  cause  of  lukewarmness  in  reli- 
gious things?  All  conditions  have  a  cause  back  of 
them  and  can  only  be  remedied  when  we  discover  the 
cause  and  remove  it.  It  was  a  good  thing  for  this 
Church  at  Laodicea  to  know  just  how  they  stood 
with  this  faithful  and  true  witness,  but  even  better 
was  it  for  them  when  He,  who  knew  all  things,  told 
them  plainly  what  had  caused  that  condition.  It  is 
a  good  thing  for  men  to-day  to  know  God's  con- 
ception of  them,  but  better  still  to  get  from  Him 
the  cause  that  has  given  rise  to  that  condition. 

And  Jesus  says  in  this  letter  that  the  cause  of 
their  lukewarmness  is  their  self-satisfaction  in  the 
superficial  things  of  life.  This  was  their  true  condi- 
tion, "Because  thou  sayest,  I  am  rich,  and  have  got- 
ten riches,  and  have  need  of  nothing;  and  knowest 
not  that  thou  art  the  wretched  one  and  miserable 
and  poor  and  blind  and  naked."  From  this  we  get 
the  opinion  that  this  Church  was  well  fixed,  so  far 


202      What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

as  this  world's  goods  were  concerned.  They  no 
doubt  had  a  fine  building  In  which  to  worship,  strong 
preacher,  good  music,  because  able  to  pay  well  for 
such  things;  no  doubt  their  membership  was  com- 
posed of  those  who  stood  high  in  the  community 
because  they  were  rich.  But  they  had  thought  so 
much  of  these  outward  things,  that  they  had  lost 
sight  of  true  religion,  they  did  not  consider  that  they 
had  need  of  anything,  because  they  were  materially 
prosperous.  In  reality  they  were  destitute  in  those 
things  that  make  real  life.  They  thought  they  were 
rich,  but  they  were  poverty-stricken,  so  far  as  true 
riches  were  concerned. 

And  this  has  ever  been  the  cause  of  lukewarmness 
in  Christian  living.  Men  and  women  get  interested 
in  material  things,  and  when  they  become  successful 
and  prosperous,  they  think  they  are  in  need  of  noth- 
ing, so  are  not  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God.  And  many  people  who  are  not  wealthy  and 
prosperous  are  so  interested  in  an  endeavor  to  reach 
this  coveted  condition,  that  they  lose  their  zeal  for 
things  religious,  for  they  do  not  see  where  religion 
will  help.  Too  often  our  lack  of  Interest  in  the 
work  of  the  Church  is  due  to  the  fact  that  we  have 
allowed  other  Interests  to  crowd  It  out,  thinking  that 
they  were  more  important.  But  If  men  only  knew 
that  no  matter  how  many  of  these  material  things 


Lukewarm  Religion  >■     203 

they  may  get,  If  they  have  not  the  things  of  God, 
they  are  poor  and  naked  and  destitute  I 

Also  Is  it  true  that  men  and  women  who  may 
realize  the  need  of  the  Church  and  the  value  of  the 
Church  work  lose  their  zeal  for  religion  because 
they  have  become  zealous  for  worldly  success.  It 
may  be  business,  It  may  be  pleasure.  It  may  be  one 
thing  or  It  may  be  another,  but  when  we  enter  other 
things  with  whole  heart  and  soul  the  tendency  is  to 
lose  sight  of  the  importance  of  religion,  and  we 
lose  our  enthusiasm  for  religious  work.  And  how 
prone  we  are  to  think  that  if  we  succeed  in  these 
worldly  Interests  life  is  all  that  it  should  be,  we  are 
perfectly  satisfied!  But  Jesus  says  that  we  lack  that 
which  is  vital. 

But  the  real  cause  of  this  lukewarmness  is  re- 
vealed later  in  the  message.  For  because  of  their 
Interest  and  their  enthusiasm  for  the  things  of  this 
world,  they  had  kept  Jesus  standing  outside  the 
door  of  their  hearts.  If  Jesus  had  departed  entirely 
from  the  life,  they  would  have  been  cold;  If  He  had 
been  allowed  to  enter  the  heart  they  would  have 
been  hot,  fired  by  a  passionate  love  for  Him  and 
His  Cause.  But  the  fact  that  He  was  just  outside 
the  door  produced  the  condition  where  He  touched 
their  lives  to  some  extent,  but  did  not  vitally  influ- 
ence them. 


204     What  the  Spirit  Saitk  to  the  Churches 

And  if  there  is  a  lack  of  real  interest  and  real  en- 
thusiasm in  the  attitude  of  men  towards  the  religion 
of  Jesus  Christ,  rest  assured  that  it  is  because  they 
are  keeping  the  Master  standing  outside  the  door 
of  their  hearts.  Holman  Hunt  has  painted  a  won- 
derful picture  of  this  passage  of  Scripture.  It  is 
that  of  a  cottage  neglected  and  falling  into  ruin.  In 
front  of  the  fast-closed  door  stands  a  tall  and  stately 
figure,  with  face  that  shows  toil  and  weary  waiting, 
one  hand  raised  to  knock  and  in  the  other  held  a 
light  that  flashes  through  the  chinks  in  the  door. 
When  the  artist  had  finished  the  painting  he  showed 
It  to  a  friend.  This  friend  stood  for  some  time 
looking  at  the  kingly  figure  of  the  Christ,  outside 
the  door,  then  suddenly  exclaimed,  "Hunt,  you  have 
made  a  terrible  mistake  here."  "What  mistake?" 
asked  the  painter.  "Why,  you  have  painted  a  door 
without  a  handle."  "That  is  not  a  mistake,"  an- 
swered Hunt,  "that  door  has  no  handle  on  the  out- 
side. It  is  on  the  inside."  One  day  a  workingman 
and  his  little  boy  were  sitting  in  front  of  the  pic- 
ture. After  a  little  the  boy  nudged  his  father  and 
said,  "Why  don't  they  let  Him  in?"  The  man  hesi- 
tated, then  answered,  "I  don't  know,  Jimmy.  I 
expect  they  don't  want  Him  to  come  in."  Again 
the  lad  was  silent  for  a  few  moments,  then  said, 
"It's  not   that.      Everybody  wants   Him."      Then 


Lukewarm  Religion  205 

after  a  pause  he  continued,  "I  know  why  they  don't 
let  Him  In.    They  live  In  the  back  of  the  house." 

Can  you  find  any  better  explanation  for  the  luke- 
warmness  on  the  part  of  people  to-day?  The  Christ 
has  been  forced  to  stand  outside  their  lives,  for  the 
door  can  only  be  opened  from  the  Inside,  there  is  no 
handle  on  the  outside.  But  this  door  is  not  kept 
shut  because  we  do  not  want  Him  in  so  much  as 
that  men  and  women  are  Hving  at  the  back  of  the 
house.  They  are  content  with  the  views  of  the  back- 
yard, their  worldly  ambitions  and  aspirations,  in- 
stead of  entering  the  front  of  the  house  where  they 
would  hear  plainly  the  knocking  of  the  Master,  and 
where  they  could  enjoy  the  best  that  life  offers. 

But  what  is  God's  attitude  toward  this  condition? 
These  Christians,  realizing  the  true  condition  of 
their  lives,  were  no  doubt  much  concerned  as  to 
Jesus'  opinion  of  them  and  His  attitude  toward 
them.  And  we  ought  to  be  concerned  as  to  what 
Christ's  attitude  toward  us  is. 

You  will  notice  that  God's  attitude  is  one  of  utter 
disgust  with  such  a  condition.  He  would  have  more 
use  for  them  if  they  were  out  and  out  against  Him 
than  to  claim  to  be  His  followers  and  fail  to  follow 
Him,  for  He  says,  "I  would  thou  wert  cold  or 
hot."  And  this  condition  He  will  not  tolerate,  for 
He  adds,  ''Because  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot,  I 


2o6     What  the  Spirit  Saitk  to  the  Churches 

will  spew  thee  out  of  my  mouth."  What  a  blow  this 
must  have  been  to  this  rich  Church.  They  thought 
they  were  all  right,  but  Jesus  says  that  He  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  them.  The  effect  of  lukewarm 
water  is  to  nauseate  the  stomach  and  the  water  is 
expelled.  So,  the  Christ  says,  He  will  do  with  those 
who  are  lukewarm  in  their  religion. 

But  let  us  see  the  other  side  of  Christ's  attitude. 
Though  He  cannot  endure  such  a  condition,  yet  He 
does  His  best  to  get  them  to  change,  for  He  gives 
them  good  counsel  that  will  lead  them  back  to  Him- 
self. His  judgment  is  founded  on  knowledge,  it  is 
true  and  faithful  and  final,  and  we  can  rely  on  it. 
And  the  same  can  be  said  of  His  advice,  for  He 
speaks  with  authority.  He  knows  the  conditions 
and  what  will  be  the  best  course  for  men  to  fol- 
low. He  will  faithfully  tell  the  right  course,  and 
we  may  take  this  as  the  final  word  of  instruction, 
for  there  will  be  nothing  beyond  what  Jesus  tells 
us  to  do. 

The  first  truth  suggested  is  that  true  things  in  the 
life  come  from  Christ.  Men  are  asking  for  the 
things  that  are  real  and  that  are  true,  but  they 
are  often  looking  to  themselves  or  to  the  life  about 
them  for  the  answer.  We  want  the  best,  but  where 
shall  we  find  it?  Let  us  gain  this  message,  that 
the  true  things  of  life,   those  things  that  we   are 


Lukewarm  Religion  207 

most  anxious  to  have,  will  be  found  In  the  religion 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

From  Christ  we  get  true  prosperity,  for  the  Mes- 
senger says,  "I  counsel  thee  to  buy  of  me  gold  re- 
fined in  the  fire  that  thou  mayest  become  rich."  We 
all  want  to  be  prosperous,  but  the  question  is  as 
to  how  this  may  be  obtained.  Some  hold  It  Is  by 
placing  these  temporal  things  first  and  thinking 
only  of  them.  But  true  prosperity  is  success  built 
on  a  sure  foundation.  You  would  not  think  the 
thief  a  prosperous  man,  though  he  had  stolen  mil- 
lions, because  he  does  not  know  when  it  will  be 
taken  from  him.  Neither  is  that  man  prosperous 
who  Is  founding  his  business  on  false  principles, 
for  It  Is  Insecure.  The  only  sure  means  for  success 
Is  when  a  man  shall  give  place  and  prominence  In 
his  life  and  in  his  daily  work  to  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ.  You  get  the  true  principles  for  daily  living 
from  the  life  and  teachings  of  the  Master.  Truly 
It  is  gold,  refined  in  the  fire,  that  brings  sure  riches. 

From  Christ  we  get  the  true  standards  for  char- 
acter, for  again  the  Messenger  says,  "I  counsel  thee 
to  buy  of  me  white  garments  that  thou  mayest  clothe 
thyself,  and  that  the  shame  of  thy  nakedness  may 
not  be  made  manifest."  Garment  or  robe  in  the 
Scriptures  represents  character,  and  the  white  gar- 
ment would  refer  to  purity  In  the  life.     Men  want 


2o8     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

clean  and  upright  characters.  If  our  lives  are  blot- 
ted and  marred  by  sin,  we  are  not  satisfied  with 
them. 

But  the  question  is  as  to  how  we  can  best  obtain 
this  spotlessness. 

Some  will  wrap  about  them  the  robe  of  self- 
righteousness  and  pride  themselves  in  their  morality. 
But  this  purity  of  character  is  not  attained  by  our- 
selves or  through  the  help  of  our  fellowmen,  for 
the  white  garment  can  only  be  obtained  from  Jesus 
Christ.  Though  men  may  be  satisfied  with  them- 
selves, yet  when  they  come  in  contact  with  the  spot- 
lessness of  the  righteousness  of  the  Christ,  they  will 
recognize  their  need  of  something  better  than  that 
which  they  have.  And  we  only  reach  the  best  in 
character-building  when  we  accept  the  standards  of 
the  Christ  and  strive  for  them  through  the  power 
that  comes  from  Him. 

Again  from  Christ  we  get  the  true  vision  of  life, 
for  the  Messenger  says  again,  "I  counsel  thee  to 
buy  of  me  eyesalve  to  anoint  thine  eyes,  that  thou 
mayest  see."  We  are  being  governed  in  all  walks 
of  life,  in  all  our  activities,  in  all  our  thinking,  by 
our  vision  of  life.  We  have  visions,  we  have  pur- 
poses, and  we  are  following  them.  But  the  ques- 
tion is,  Where  did  we  get  them? 

This  vision  governs  our  relation  to  ourselves,  and 


Lukewarm  Religion  209 

we  get  It  often  from  our  own  selfish  desires  or  from 
the  standards  and  the  example  of  men.  We  are  gov- 
erned by  our  vision  of  life  in  regard  to  our  obliga- 
tions, but  this  often  comes  from  the  spirit  of  selfish- 
ness or  from  public  opinion. 

And  men  only  see  life  as  it  really  is,  the  possibili- 
ties for  themselves,  the  obhgations  with  reference 
to  others,  when  they  have  seen  the  world,  as  Christ 
saw  it,  and  have  caught  his  vision  of  a  true  life  and 
the  true  mission  of  life.  Men  may  think  that  they 
know  what  Is  right  and  what  is  wrong,  what  they 
ought  to  do  and  what  they  are  not  obligated  to  do, 
but  this  is  only  true  if  their  eyes  have  been  anointed 
with  the  eyesalve  that  Christ  gives. 

And  you  will  notice  that  these  things  must  be  pur- 
chased, for  the  Messenger  counsels  them  to  BUY. 
Some  may  think  It  an  easy  matter  to  live  the  Chris- 
tian life  and  to  obey  the  commands  of  Christ,  but 
these  blessings,  which  He  promises  to  bring  Into  the 
life,  must  be  purchased,  and  they  cost  much. 

And  often  the  reason  that  men  are  not  accepting 
the  things  that  Christ  offers  is  because  they  are  not 
willing  to  pay  for  them.  Men  will  not  accept 
Christ's  ideas  for  material  prosperity  because  they 
do  not  want  to  give  up  their  own  Ideas;  they  will 
not  accept  His  standards  of  character  because  they 
do  not  want  to  sacrifice  their  own  standards;  they 


210     JVhat  the  Spirit  Saitk  to  the  Churches 

do  not  want  to  obtain  His  vision  of  life  because  it 
will  mean  giving  up  their  own  vision  of  life.  These 
things  are  of  greatest  value,  but  they  must  be  bought. 
Are  we  willing  to  pay  the  price? 

Let  us  take  with  us  the  picture  with  which  the 
message  is  closed,  that  of  the  waiting  Christ.  He 
has  been  harsh  in  His  criticism,  but  He  assures 
them  that  it  is  because  He  loves  them  and  wants 
to  turn  them  to  that  which  is  better.  He  urges  them 
to  repent  and  turn  from  that  life  of  lukewarmness, 
to  be  zealous  for  Him  and  for  His  service.  Then 
comes  that  greatest  of  all  messages  that  reveals  the 
love  and  the  patience  of  the  Christ,  and  which  we 
ought  never  to  forget,  either  for  ourselves  or 
for  our  fellowmen. — "Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door 
and  knock;  if  any  man  hear  my  voice,  and  open 
the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him  and  will  sup  with 
him,  and  he  with  Me." 

Some  years  ago  this  incident  happened  In  the 
north  of  Scotland  near  Inverness.  A  beautiful  yacht 
had  been  saihng  on  the  Moray  Firth.  Two  young 
men  landed  at  Inverness  to  take  a  walk  through  the 
Highlands.  They  lost  their  way  and  wandered 
about  in  the  darkness  until  about  midnight,  when 
they  came  upon  a  little  cottage.  They  knocked  for 
admittance,  but  the  inmates  were  all  in  bed  and 
they  were  ordered  to  go  elsewhere.     They  found 


Lukewarm  Religion  211 

shelter  In  a  house  some  distance  away.  What  must 
have  been  the  feeling  of  those  inhospitable  people 
when  they  heard  the  next  morning  that  those  two 
young  men  who  knocked  at  their  door  were  Prince 
George,  present  King  of  England,  and  his  brother, 
Duke  of  Clarence,  the  choicest  visitors  of  the  na- 
tion !  What  should  be  our  shame  if  we  are  keeping 
Jesus,  the  King  of  the  Universe,  standing  at  the 
door  of  our  hearts  knocking  for  admittance ! 

O  Jesus,  Thou  art  standing 
Outside  the  fast-closed  door. 
In  lowly  patience  waiting 
To  pass  the  threshold  o'er: 
We  bear  the  name  of  Christians, 
His  Name  and  sign  we  bear; 
O  shame,  thrice  shame  upon  us, 
To  keep  Him  standing  there. 

O  Jesus,  Thou  art  knocking: 
And  lo !  that  hand  is  scarred. 
And  thorns  Thy  brow  encircle. 
And  tears  Thy  face  have  marr'd: 
O  love  that  passeth  knowledge, 
So  patiently  to  wait! 
O  sin  that  hath  no  equal, 
So  fast  to  bar  the  gate! 


212     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

O  Jesus,  Thou  art  pleading 
In  accents  meek  and  low, 
"I  died  for  you.  My  children, 
And  will  ye  treat  me  so?" 
O  Lord,  with  shame  and  sorrow 
We  open  now  the  door: 
Dear  Saviour,  enter,  enter. 
And  leave  us  nevermore. 


CHAPTER  IX 


"And  Moses  said  unto  Hobab,  the  son  of  Reuel 
the  MIdianite,  Moses'  father-in-law,  We  are  jour- 
neying unto  the  place  of  which  Jehovah  said,  I  will 
give  it  you :  come  thou  with  us  and  we  will  do  thee 
good;  for  Jehovah  hath  spoken  good  concerning 
Israel.  And  he  said  unto  him,  I  will  not  go;  but  I 
will  depart  to  mine  own  land,  and  to  my  kindred. 
And  he  said.  Leave  us  not,  I  pray  thee;  forasmuch 
as  thou  knowest  how  we  are  to  encamp  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  thou  shalt  be  to  us  instead  of  eyes.  And 
it  shall  be,  if  thou  go  with  us,  yea,  it  shall  be,  that 
what  goodness  the  Lord  shall  do  unto  us,  the  same 
will  we  do  unto  thee."     Numbers  10:29-32. 


OUR  OBLIGATION  TO  THE  CHURCH 

A  minister  was  at  one  time  urging  a  little  fellow 
in  his  parish  to  attend  the  morning  service,  telling 
him  what  a  nice  Bible  he  would  get  for  nine  months' 
faithful  attendance.  At  the  end  of  his  talk  the 
little  lad,  standing  with  legs  wide  apart  and  a  se- 
rious look  on  his  face,  said,  "Well,  what's  it  all 
for?  Why  are  you  so  hot  to  rope  us  fellows  into 
Church  and  Sunday  School?  What  you  doin'  it  for?" 
There  are  thousands  of  men  and  women  in  the 
Church  and  thousands  of  men  and  women  who  are 
not  members  of  the  Church,  and  the  plea  is  being 
constantly  urged  on  the  outsider  to  become  a  mem- 
ber. We  may  well  ask  the  same  question  as  the 
lad,  "Well,  what's  it  all  for?"  And  in  this  closing 
chapter  we  want  to  give  some  reasons  as  to  why  we 
should  be  loyal  to  this  great  organization. 

We  would  like  to  bring  the  attention  of  the  reader 
to  a  story  found  in  the  tenth  chapter  of  the  Book  of 
Numbers.  It  is  the  story  of  Hobab,  the  leader  of 
the  tribe  of  Kenites,  whose  acquaintance  we  would 
do  well  to  make.     Hobab  was  the  youngest,  the 

215 


2i6     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

strongest  and  the  bravest  of  his  tribe.  He  had  been 
brought  in  contact  with  the  movement  of  Israel  to- 
ward Canaan  through  the  marriage  of  his  sister  to 
Moses.  He  had  been  with  Moses  and  worshiped 
with  him  at  Sinai.  He  knew  much  of  the  history 
of  Israel  and  their  God.  He  was  no  doubt  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  wilderness  movement  and  recognized 
the  superiority  of  Jehovah  over  his  gods. 

But  the  time  had  come  to  decide  what  course 
he  was  going  to  take,  for  Israel  was  going  forward 
toward  the  Promised  Land.  So  Moses  comes  to 
this  man  with  the  appeal,  "Come  thou  with  us." 
Now  Hobab  loved  his  home  and  its  associations,  he 
loved  the  desert  with  its  tendency  towards  an  un- 
restrained life.  And  though  he  had  nothing  to  say 
In  answer  to  the  arguments  of  Moses,  yet  our  con- 
clusion would  be  that  he  turned  down  the  proposi- 
tion and  returned  to  his  own  land  and  his  former 
life. 

This  man  represents  a  large  class  of  men  and 
women  who  are  connected  with  the  Church  by  mar- 
riage, whose  fathers  or  mothers  or  brothers  or  sis- 
ters or  children  are  members  of  the  Church,  while 
they  are  but  adherents.  They  admire  the  Church, 
are  m  sympathy  with  its  work,  support  it  in  a  way, 
but  refuse  to  identify  themselves  definitely  with  its 
purposes  and  highest  Interests.    To  such  comes  the 


Our  Obligation  to  the  Church  217 

appeal  of  the  Church  that  Moses  made  to  Hobab, 
"Come  thou  with  us." 

Now  it  meant  a  great  deal  to  this  man  that  he 
should  go  with  Moses,  for  if  he  did  he  would  have 
to  break  with  his  old  manner  of  living,  he  would 
have  to  give  up  many  of  his  former  associations 
and  habits  of  life.  In  fact,  if  he  joined  forces  with 
Moses  he  must  go  in  the  opposite  direction.  There 
must  of  necessity  have  been  exceptionally  strong 
reasons  before  such  a  step  would  have  been  taken. 

We  do  not  sympathize  with  the  appeal  that  it  is 
an  easy  matter  to  become  a  church-member.  For 
when  a  man  identifies  himself  with  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ,  it  means  a  break  with  his  old  way  of  liv- 
ing and  a  giving  up  of  many  associations  and  habits 
of  life.  It  means  doing  many  things  that  have  not 
previously  been  a  part  of  the  activities  of  the  life, 
and  shouldering  responsibilities  that  have  before 
been  neglected.  This  step  is  no  small  undertaking 
in  a  man's  life,  and  ought  not  to  be  entered  into 
lightly.  But  there  are  reasons  that  ought  to  influ- 
ence any  man  or  woman  to  take  a  position  of  loyalty 
to  the  Church. 

The  Church  should  appeal  to  us  because  of  that 
for  which  she  stands.  In  every  building  there  are 
two  things  that  must  be  considered,  both  by  the 
builder  and  by  the  inspector,  the  superstructure  and 


2i8     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

the  foundation.  We  stand  before  a  large  building 
and  as  we  attempt  to  count  the  stories  we  are 
amazed  at  the  greatness  of  the  work.  But  the  in- 
telligent purchaser  will  go  down  into  the  basement 
to  see  what  kind  of  a  foundation  the  building  has. 

There  are  organizations  that  come  to  us  with 
their  appeals.  They  will  display  the  fine  buildings, 
the  honorable  membership,  the  wonderful  system  of 
the  working  organization.  But  if  you  want  to  find 
the  real  value  go  into  the  basement  of  that  organi- 
zation and  find  out  as  to  the  character  of  the  founda- 
tion upon  which  the  structure  rests. 

In  every  Institution  there  are  foundation  stones, 
there  are  principles  that  lie  at  the  very  heart  of  the 
organization,  there  are  truths  which  It  attempts  to 
teach.  These  are  the  reasons  for  its  inception,  these 
these  are  the  things  we  should  seek  to  know.  There 
may  be  some  institutions  and  organizations  that  will 
not  reveal  the  fundamental  qualities,  that  will  not 
show  you  the  foundation  stones  until  you  become  a 
member.  But  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  stands 
ready  for  our  inspection.  She  proclaims  openly  the 
things  for  which  she  stands,  the  principles  that  lie 
at  the  very  centre  of  her  heart  and  life,  the  truths 
that  form  her  foundation. 

Hobab  knew  the  history  of  Israel  and  what  God 
had  done  for  them.    He  knew  the  promises  concern- 


Our  Obligation  to  the   Church  219 

Ing  the  Promised  Land.  If  he  had  been  dealing 
honestly  and  sincerely  these  should  have  Influenced 
his  decision.  The  Church  was  built  upon  certain 
vital  truths,  she  Is  teaching  certain  Ufe-givlng  prin- 
ciples, and  these  are  such  as  we  In  honesty  and  sin- 
cerity must  acknowledge  to  be  true  and  right.  On 
this  ground  she  makes  her  appeal  to  men. 

The  Church  teaches  men  about  God  and  his  re- 
lation to  the  world.  Men  are  much  concerned  about 
many  different  things  in  the  world,  but  back  of  all 
this  is  our  conception  of  God,  for  He  Is  back  of  all 
truth  and  back  of  all  life.  Men  may  difter  In  regard 
to  their  conceptions  of  life  in  its  varied  activities, 
but  they  must  unite  In  their  conclusion  that  back  of 
all  life  there  Is  some  greater  power  that  stands 
guard  over  the  forces  of  the  world.  This  Power 
must  be  recognized  in  all  our  conceptions  and  in  all 
our  conclusions. 

You  may  study  history  and  become  interested 
in  the  manifold  activities  of  men  and  the  chang- 
ing affairs  of  nations,  but  you  will  be  forced  to 
the  conclusion  that  back  of  It  all  there  is  God  with 
His  wonder-working  power.  You  may  study  science 
and  become  Interested  In  the  workings  of  the  forces 
of  nature,  and  endeavor  to  fathom  the  origin  of  life 
and  its  destiny;  but  again  you  will  be  forced  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  Is  some  power  in  nature  for 


220     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

which  you  cannot  account,  which  is  God.  So  in 
whatever  direction  we  may  go,  if  we  go  far  enough, 
we  will  come  to  the  place  where  we  must  recognize 
an  unseen  Power.  And  about  this  Power  men  want 
to  learn.  The  disciples  said  to  Jesus,  "Show  us 
the  Father  and  it  sufficeth  us,"  and  men  ever  since 
have  been  anxious  for  the  same  knowledge. 

We  can  join  literary  clubs  and  learn  about  the 
best  books  of  our  own  and  other  times;  we  can  join 
a  science  club  and  learn  about  the  different  sciences. 
We  can  connect  ourselves  with  some  charitable  in- 
stitution and  learn  how  to  relieve  our  fellowmen. 
But  it  is  from  the  Church  that  man  is  most  likely  to 
gain  that  knowledge  that  he  needs  most,  even  a 
knowledge  of  God. 

The  Church  stands  firm  for  the  supremacy  of 
God,  as  the  Creator  and  the  Ruler  of  the  Universe. 
In  one  of  our  large  eastern  cities  the  boys  and  girls 
in  the  eighth  grade  of  the  Public  Schools  refused  to 
sing  any  songs  in  the  morning  exercises  that  referred 
to  God,  saying  that  they  did  not  believe  any  longer 
that  there  was  a  God.  But  the  deplorable  part  of 
it  was  that  the  authorities  granted  the  request,  and 
ordered  dropped  all  songs  that  had  any  religious 
suggestions  in  them.  We  lament  such  a  condition, 
but  it  results  not  from  the  influence  of  the  Church, 
but  because  of  the  refusal  on  the  part  of  that  city 


Our  Obligation  to  the  Church  221 

to  listen  to  the  plea  of  the  Church  and  keep  the  Bible 
In  her  Schools. 

The  Church  teaches  men  about  themselves,  their 
actual  condition,  their  possibilities,  and  their  respon- 
sibilities. Men,  from  time  to  time,  do  become  in- 
terested in  their  own  origin  and  ask  from  whence 
they  came.  But  the  greatest  concern  of  the  normal 
man  is  his  condition  at  present  and  his  destiny. 
We  want  to  know  the  truth  about  ourselves  and  the 
Church  comes  to  us  with  a  message  of  no  uncertain 
sound.  The  Church  does  not  flatter  men,  she  does 
not  feed  us  with  sugared  plums  and  appeal  to  our 
sense  of  our  own  importance,  but  she  does  tell  us 
the  truth  about  ourselves. 

The  Church  stands  firm  upon  the  ground  of  man's 
sinfulness  and  his  need  of  salvation  from  that  sin 
through  a  power  that  Is  greater  than  his  own.  At 
the  same  time  there  is  no  more  hopeful  picture  of 
man  than  that  depicted  by  the  Church,  for  he  is 
made  In  the  image  of  God.  Though  he  has  marred 
that  Image  by  his  sin,  yet  it  Is  possible  for  him  to 
return  to  the  dignity  of  his  creation,  and  when  he 
touches  God  he  becomes  God-like. 

With  this  there  comes  the  next  great  truth, 
namely,  that  man  is  responsible  for  his  condition. 
If  he  Is  living  in  sin  when  It  Is  possible  for  him  to 
break  from  it  and  to  become  like  God,  upon  his 


222     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

shoulders  must  rest  the  responsibility  for  remaining 
in  that  condition.  Some  men  may  seek  to  excuse 
themselves  for  their  sin.  Some  organizations  may 
so  minimize  the  power  of  God  and  so  magnify  the 
power  of  sin  that  they  fill  the  hearts  of  men  with  a 
simpering  sentimentality  of  man's  helpless  and  hope- 
less condition,  until  they  take  from  man  all  sem- 
blance of  pride  and  determination.  But  they  have 
thus  taken  from  him  the  dignity  of  his  manhood  and 
have  left  him  little  better  than  the  animal  below 
him,  a  creature  of  his  surroundings. 

Not  so  the  Church.  She  has  always  stood  for 
the  truth  that  man  is  fitted  for  something  better  than 
his  sinful  condition,  and  if  he  does  not  attain  to  this, 
he  alone  is  responsible  for  his  failure.  And  this 
picture  of  future  possibility  must  appeal  to  every 
man. 

But  the  Church  has  another  great  truth  which  lies 
at  her  very  foundation,  the  cornerstone  which  many 
builders  reject,  even  her  belief  in  Jesus  Christ  as  the 
Redeemer  of  men.  She  will  not  minimize  man's 
sin  and  its  power,  she  will  not  underestimate  man's 
high  estate  to  which  he  ought  to  attain,  but  she 
stands  firmly  for  the  attainment  of  this  destiny 
through  the  work  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Some  may  say  that  man  is  pretty  good  as  he  Is, 
others  may  say  that  he  will  always  sin  and  can  be 


Our  Obligation  to  the   Church  223 

no  better,  but  the  Church  says  that  man  is  a  sinner 
and  needs  a  Saviour,  and  that  this  Saviour  Is  fur- 
nished In  Jesus  Christ.  This  Is  the  centre  around 
which  the  life  and  the  work  and  the  hopes  of  the 
Church  revolve.  This  Is  the  cornerstone,  the  key- 
stone of  the  structure. 

At  a  banquet  some  years  ago  of  an  organization 
that  was  started  by  Churches  and  received  its  char- 
ter from  the  Churches,  two  of  the  speakers  were 
managers  of  metropolitan  newspapers.  And  these 
men  spent  their  time  In  cutting  criticism  of  the 
Church,  though  one  of  them  acknowledged  that  he 
had  not  been  Inside  a  church  for  twenty  years. 

And  you  will  find  much  of  the  criticism  of  the 
Church  similar  to  this.  But  he  who  gets  In  close 
touch  with  this  great  organization  so  as  to  under- 
stand her  fundamental  teachings  will  find  that  she 
stands  for  those  things  that  are  a  direct  revelation 
of  God's  Word,  and  that  are  fundamental  to  all 
right  thinking  and  right  living.  For  this  reason 
every  reasonable  man  ought  to  unite  the  forces  of 
his  life  openly  and  definitely  with  this  organization. 

The  Church  should  appeal  to  us  because  of  what 
she  aims  to  accomplish.  Though  Hobab  no  doubt 
rejected  Moses'  proposition,  yet  it  should  have  ap- 
pealed to  him  because  of  what  Israel  was  aiming  to 
do,  because  of  the  direction  in  which  they  were  going. 


224     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

There  may  have  been  some  things  about  the  Israel- 
ites that  he  did  not  like,  and  he  did  not  like  the  idea 
of  leaving  his  own  land,  but  they  were  going  to  the 
land  of  Canaan,  which  he  knew  was  a  great  deal 
better  than  his  own  land.  His  good  judgment  should 
have  influenced  him  to  go  with  them. 

True  it  is  that  the  thing  of  first  importance 
in  regard  to  any  institution  is  the  foundation  prin- 
ciples, and  from  this  standpoint  the  Church  makes 
her  appeal  to  us  with  strength  and  power.  But  the 
next  question  he  will  ask  will  be  as  to  what  the 
organization  is  doing.  There  may  be  some  people 
who  are  right  in  principle  and  wrong  in  practice, 
and  there  may  be  some  organizations  that  are  right 
in  foundation  principles  and  far  from  right  when 
you  look  at  what  they  are  accomplishing. 

So  we  want  to  know  what  the  Church  is  doing. 
What  are  her  aims  and  accomplishments?  Some 
might  question  the  stand  of  the  Church  on  the  fun- 
damental things  of  life,  but  no  one  can  deny  the 
superiority  and  the  grandeur  of  her  aims,  no  one 
can  deny  the  greatness  of  her  accomplishments.  In 
spite  of  faults  and  flaws,  she  stands  as  the  greatest 
organization  the  world  has  ever  seen  for  the  uplift 
of  mankind.  And  wherever  she  has  touched  life  it 
has  been  made  better  and  sweeter  by  that  touch. 

The  Church  aims  to  lead  men  to  be  clean  and 


Our  Obligation  to  the  Church  225 

upright  In  relation  to  themselves.  Men  are  not  al- 
ways square  and  honest  In  their  treatment  of  them- 
selves. They  often  allow  things  In  their  lives  that 
are  Injurious  and  detrimental  to  their  highest  good, 
and  that  hinder  the  development  of  strong  and  up- 
right character.  Though  the  Church  emphasizes  the 
sinfulness  of  man,  yet  by  turning  his  attention  to 
what  God  intended  and  wants  him  to  be  and  by 
showing  him  how  to  reach  this  ideal,  through  his 
relation  to  Jesus  Christ,  she  is  leading  men  to 
change  in  their  attitude  toward  themselves.  By 
placing  the  emphasis  on  right  living  and  turning  the 
attention  of  men  to  the  life  of  the  Christ,  the 
Church  is  endeavoring  to  lead  men  to  abhor  sin  in 
every  form  and  to  drive  it  out  of  their  lives  through 
the  power  of  Christ  In  their  hearts. 

The  Church  aims  to  lead  men  to  be  honest  and 
charitable  in  their  treatment  of  their  fellowmen.  It 
is  not  enough  that  an  organization  shall  give  a  man 
right  standards  for  his  own  Individual  life  and  Instill 
right  thoughts  In  his  mind,  though  the  Church  Is 
doing  this.  But  every  man  lives  a  public  life,  every 
man  touches  other  men,  and  he  wants  to  know  what 
to  do  in  this  relationship.  If  an  organization  is  to 
make  its  appeal  to  us,  it  must  tell  us  how  to  live 
among  men,  as  well  as  how  to  live  by  ourselves. 
This  the  Church  aims  to  do. 


2  26     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

The  great  drawback  In  the  relationships  of  men 
is  that  they  do  not  always  deal  In  honesty  and  up- 
rightness with  each  other.  There  is  much  trickery 
and  fraud  under  the  cover  of  shrewdness.  The 
Church  as  an  institution  has  always  opposed  such 
deahngs,  and  has  stood  for  the  square  deal  between 
man  and  man.  She  has  taught  man's  responsibility 
for  the  welfare  of  his  fellowmen,  and  that  God  will 
hold  each  man  responsible  for  his  conduct  toward  his 
neighbor.  She  has  taught  honesty,  sincerity  and  love 
in  all  relationships  in  public  and  private  life. 

The  Church  aims  to  lead  men  to  be  loyal  and 
faithful  in  their  relation  to  God.  She  has  endeav- 
ored to  lead  men  to  develop  their  religious  selves, 
and  to  discharge  their  religious  obligations.  The 
greatest  question,  after  all,  that  confronts  each  one 
of  us  is  our  relation  to  God.  If  this  is  right,  the 
other  relations  in  life  will  follow.  The  man  who  is 
loyal  and  faithful  to  God  will  be  clean  and  upright 
in  his  own  life,  he  will  be  honest  and  charitable  in  his 
dealings  with  others.  Realizing  this  fact,  the 
Church  has  placed  the  emphasis  on  the  religious  side 
of  man's  life.  She  purposes  to  lead  men  to  be  re- 
ligious. 

And  the  Church  has  accomplished.  In  large  meas- 
ure at  least,  what  she  has  aimed  to  do.  There  may 
be  things  that  are  wrong  in  the  Church.     There  is 


Our  Obligation  to  the  Church  227 

sin  in  places  where  the  Church  Is  located.  But  go 
to  any  community,  town  or  nation  where  this  or- 
ganization has  been  established  and  you  will  find  that 
In  spite  of  all  weaknesses  and  frailties  of  those  who 
are  in  the  Church  she  has  gradually  accomplished 
her  three-fold  purpose.  The  Church  holds  the  high- 
est Ideals  for  Individual  life,  the  best  standards  for 
society,  and  the  true  type  of  religion.  And  wherever 
men  have  listened  to  her  teaching  they  have  been 
made  better. 

Men  have  been  led  to  live  better  and  cleaner  lives, 
communities  have  been  blessed  and  benefited  by  the 
high  standards  upheld  by  the  Church.  Nations  have 
been  lifted  to  a  higher  plane  of  civilization  and  have 
espoused  the  cause  of  peace  and  righteousness 
through  the  influence  of  this  organization  in  their 
midst.  Every  man,  every  community,  every  nation 
is  better  for  her  Influence,  however  slight. 

The  gradual  elevation  of  the  home  life,  the 
spreading  of  the  blessing  of  our  Schools,  the  slow 
but  sure  progress  of  the  nation  toward  a  loftier 
standard  of  government,  the  light  that  Is  breaking 
over  the  world,  all  this  is  due  to  the  constant  and 
determined  efforts  of  the  Church  to  realize  her 
aims. 

These  things  force  themselves  in  upon  us  with  per- 
sistency and  power,  and  we  are  compelled  to   ac- 


228     fVhat  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

knowledge  that  the  Church  is  right  in  her  aims  and 
her  work.  But  when  this  belief  in  the  teachings  and 
the  work  of  the  Church  really  grips  our  hearts,  we 
will  give  more  than  our  assent,  we  will  give  also 
a  loyal  and  unqualified  allegiance. 

The  Church  should  appeal  to  us  because  of  her 
attitude  toward  our  own  lives.  It  was  no  idle  boast, 
it  was  no  nerveless  appeal  that  Moses  was  making 
to  his  brother-in-law,  for  this  step  on  his  part  would 
have  a  definite  bearing  on  his  life.  Moses  could 
argue  for  his  co-operation  because  of  what  it  would 
mean  to  his  own  life. 

We  believe  that  the  Church  is  a  great  organiza- 
tion in  her  teachings  and  her  aims,  but  what  we 
want  to  know  is  her  attitude  toward  our  own  lives. 
Extensive  as  the  Church  is,  yet  she  touches  each  in- 
dividual life  and  makes  her  appeal  because  of  what 
that  touch  means  to  the  individual.  And  when  men 
get  their  eyes  open  to  what  this  organization  may 
mean  to  them,  as  individuals,  they  will  be  drawn 
to  her  with  irresistible  power. 

Moses  first  makes  the  appeal  to  Hobab  that  if  he 
will  go  with  them  they  will  do  him  good.  There 
were  some  things  that  he  needed  in  his  own  life 
which  would  come  to  him  if  he  would  ally  his  forces 
with  Israel.  And  these  could  not  come  to  him  in 
any  other  way.     There  are  certain  things  that  we 


Our  Obligation  to  the  Church  229 

want  very  badly  which  we  do  not  possess  unless  we 
have  formed  a  vital  relation  to  the  Church.  This 
organization  says  to  men,  "Come  thou  with  us  and 
we  will  do  thee  good."  But  what  good  can  come 
to  us  from  our  relation  to  the  Church  of  the  Christ? 

It  gives  courage  and  strength  to  a  man  in  the 
midst  of  trials  and  temptations.  Every  man  has 
trials,  he  has  temptations,  and  if  he  Is  trying  to  do 
the  right  he  is  constantly  fighting  them.  And  the 
honest  man  will  acknowledge  that  It  has  often  been 
a  losing  battle.  But  the  Church,  by  holding  up  be- 
fore us  the  true  ideals  of  life,  by  centering  our 
thoughts  on  Jesus  Christ,  reveals  to  us  our  own 
weakness  and  leads  us  to  turn  our  back  on  sin.  The 
man  who  thinks  he  is  all  right  without  the  Christ 
has  never  been  close  to  the  Man  of  Galilee  else  he 
would  have  been  conscious  of  his  shortcomings.  The 
Church  has  been  instrumental  in  leading  men  to  give 
up  their  sins,  by  fixing  their  attention  on  the  sinless 
Man.  For  into  their  hearts  will  come  the  strength 
and  courage  that  will  enable  them  to  fight  the  temp- 
ter and  win  the  victory  because  they  firmly  believe 
that  they  can  do  all  things  through  Christ,  who 
strengthens  them. 

This  relationship  to  the  Church  gives  comfort  and 
consolation  to  men  In  the  midst  of  sorrow  and  ad- 
versity.    If  we  have  had  sorrow  or  reverses,  we 


230    JVhat  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

know  how  heavy  the  burden,  how  dark  the  clouds 
that  have  settled  over  us.  If  these  times  have  not 
been  ours,  we  should  thank  God  for  His  goodness, 
but  know  this,  that  somewhere,  sometime,  somehow, 
we  know  not  where,  we  know  not  when,  and  we 
know  not  how,  these  things  must  be  a  part  of  our 
experience.  And  then  will  we  realize  the  need  of  a 
power  outside  ourselves. 

And  the  Church  comes  to  us  with  her  teachings 
of  God,  His  wisdom  and  His  love  that  sink  into  a 
man's  heart  and  prepare  him  for  these  special  times 
and  carry  him  safely  through  them  when  they  come. 
By  the  companionship  and  fellowship  of  the  Church 
there  is  comfort,  there  is  sympathy,  there  is  strength, 
there  is  consolation.  And  he  who  has  cast  his  lot 
with  Christian  people,  through  his  relation  to  the 
Church,  will  find  that  he  has  prepared  for  himself 
a  shelter  in  time  of  storm. 

But  what  does  this  organization  enable  us  to  do? 
Moses  has  another  argument  to  present  which 
should  have  been  more  powerful  than  the  former, 
for  he  appeals  to  him  on  the  ground  of  what  Hobab 
could  do  for  Israel.  Moses  was  ignorant  of  the 
country  through  which  they  were  to  journey,  he  was 
not  acquainted  with  the  people  which  they  must  en- 
counter. So  he  said  to  his  brother-in-law,  *'Thou 
shalt  be  to  us  instead  of  eyes."     Hobab  might  not 


Our  Obligation  to  the  Church  231 

be  interested  so  much  In  what  Israel  was  able  to 
offer  him,  but  you  would  think  that  when  he  saw 
what  he  could  do  for  Israel  he  would  not  refuse. 
Yet  he  turned  away. 

The  Church  is  making  her  appeal  to  men,  not 
only  on  the  ground  of  what  she  Is  able  to  do  for 
them,  but  also  because  of  what  she  will  enable  them 
to  do.  But  what  does  the  Church  enable  me  to  do? 
She  concentrates  and  localizes  the  influence  of  my 
example.  By  standing  for  the  things  which  the 
Church  teaches  I  can  turn  men's  attention  to  the 
same  things  and  lead  them  by  my  example  to  God. 
Every  right-thinking  man  would  like  to  feel  that 
his  influence  is  on  the  side  of  right.  But  how  can 
we  be  sure  of  this?  Men  In  general  recognize  that 
the  Church  stands  for  that  which  is  right  along  all 
lines,  and  by  thus  definitely  connecting  ourselves 
with  this  organization  we  will  give  point  and  power 
to  our  influence. 

We  may  try  to  teach  men  to  give  up  their  sin  and 
do  the  right,  we  may  be  making  efforts  toward  re- 
form In  politics  and  in  society,  we  may  be  trying 
to  lead  men  to  higher  standards  of  morality,  but 
the  question  that  men  will  ask  will  be  as  to  our  rela- 
tion to  the  organization  that  stands  openly  before 
the  world  for  the  very  things  which  we  teach.  And 
no  conscientious  man  has  the  right  to  neglect  any- 


232      What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

thing  that  will  add  to  the  strength  and  power  of 
his  influence. 

This  relationship  to  the  Church  will  give  us 
greater  power  in  our  homes,  in  our  community,  and 
in  the  nation.  Men  admire  the  man  who  lives  the 
right,  but  they  listen  to  the  man  who  has  the  courage 
to  show  unmistakably  to  the  world  that  he  is  for 
the  right.     This  the  Church  enables  us  to  do. 

But  this  relation  to  the  Church  has  a  more  vital 
and  definite  attitude  toward  my  life,  for  it  is  the 
outer  expression  of  my  inner  relation  to  Jesus  Christ. 
Christ  is  the  very  center  of  the  Church,  and  she  is 
the  embodiment  of  His  teachings.  He  is  the  corner- 
stone upon  which  this  organization  is  built.  It  is 
founded  on  man's  need  of  Christ,  and  a  uniting  with 
this  organization  is  a  recognition  that  we  need  him. 
To  be  a  church-member  in  truth  means  being  a 
Christian  at  heart,  and  this  is  our  way  of  telling 
the  world  about  it. 

If  I  am  a  Christian  it  follows  that  I  must  be  a 
church-member,  for  this  is  the  outer  expression  of 
the  inner  condition.  Being  a  Christian  will  show 
itself  in  a  better  life,  but  this  is  Christ's  way  by 
which  men  shall  tell  the  world  to  whom  they  at- 
tribute that  better  life.  If  you  believe  in  the  teach- 
ings and  the  efforts  of  the  Church,  if  the  Church, 
through  her  influence,  has  brought  anything  of  real 


Our  Obligation  to  the  Church  233 

value  Into  your  life,  there  Is  only  one  way  by  which 
you  can  show  that  you  are  honest  in  your  claims, 
and  that  the  blood  of  real  manhood  and  real  woman- 
hood runs  In  your  veins,  and  that  Is  by  giving  your 
name  and  your  life  to  that  organization. 

And  by  this  there  comes  a  complete  change  of 
direction  on  our  part.  You  have,  no  doubt,  been 
In  a  foundry  and  have  watched  the  process  of  melt- 
ing and  casting  of  Iron.  The  Iron  that  goes  Into  the 
melting  pot  is  of  the  same  prime  qualities,  it  pos- 
sesses the  same  Ingredients,  as  the  wheel  which  is 
made  from  it.  But  It  Is  not  of  the  same  value  to 
the  world.  Two  things  have  happened — it  has  been 
melted  into  one  mass,  then  it  has  been  moulded  into 
proper  form  to  do  work. 

The  man  who  Is  a  Christian  and  a  church-member 
has  the  same  ingredients  In  his  nature,  the  same 
intellectual  powers,  the  same  physical  powers,  the 
same  faculties,  that  he  possessed  before,  but  he  Is 
of  different  value  to  the  world.  Two  things  have 
happened  to  him.  He  has  been  melted  into  a  molten 
mass  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  at  his  conversion;  then 
this  mass  has  passed  through  the  mould  of  the 
Church  and  made  into  a  form  best  fitted  to  do  the 
world's  work. 

If  the  iron  refuses  to  be  put  into  the  melting-pot 
it  will  go  to  the  scrap  heap.    If  It  refuses  to  be  put 


234     What  the  Spirit  Saith  to  the  Churches 

into  the  mould  It  will  soon  cool  and  become  useless 
and  worthless.  We  will  be  scrap-iron  or  a  wheel, 
according  as  we  are  faithfully  discharging  the  obliga- 
tions which  the  Church  is  placing  upon  us  by  these 
appeals  which  she  is  making  to  us. 

The  Church's  one  foundation 

Is  Jesus  Christ  her  Lord; 
She  is  His  new  creation 

By  water  and  the  Word: 
From  heav'n  He  came  and  sought  her, 

To  be  His  holy  Bride; 
With  His  own  blood  He  bought  her, 

And  for  her  life  He  died. 

Elect  from  every  nation, 

Yet  one  o'er  all  the  earth. 
Her  charter  of  salvation 

One  Lord,  one  Faith,  one  Birth; 
One   holy  Name   she  blesses. 

Partakes  one  Holy  Food, 
And  to  one  hope  she  presses, 

With  every  grace  endued. 

'Mid  toil  and  tribulation. 

And  tumult  of  her  war. 
She  waits  the  consummation 

Of  peace  forevermore; 


Our  Obligation  to  the  Church  235 

Till  with  the  vision  glorious 

Her  longing  eyes  are  blest, 
And  the  great  Church  victorious 

Shall  be  the  Church  at  rest. 

Yet  she  on  earth  hath  union 

With  God  the  Three  in  One, 
And  mystic  sweet  communion 

With  those  whose  rest  is  won : 
O  happy  ones  and  holy! 

Lord,  give  us  grace  that  we 
Like  them,  the  meek  and  lowly. 

On  high  may  dwell  with  Thee. 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary  U^^^^^ 


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